Widespread establishment of adventive populations of Leptopilina japonica (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) in North America and development of a multiplex PCR assay to identify key parasitoids of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophi

Authors: GARIEPY, TARA - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada; ABRAM, PAUL - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada; ADAMS, CHRIS - Oregon State University; BEAL, DYLAN - Washington State University; BEERS, ELIZABETH - Washington State University; BEETLE, JONATHAN - New Jersey Department Of Agriculture; BIDDINGER, DAVID - Pennsylvania State University; BRIND’AMOUR, GABRIELLA - Cornell University; BRUIN, ALLISON - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada; Buffington, Matthew; BURRACK, HANNAH - Michigan State University; DAANE, KENT - University Of California Berkeley; DEMCHAK, KATHLEEN - Pennsylvania State University; FANNING, PHILLIP - University Of Maine; GILLETT, ALEXANDRA - New Jersey Department Of Agriculture; HAMBY, KELLY - University Of Maryland; Hogg, Brian; HOELMER, KIM - Collaborator; ISAACS, RUFUS - Michigan State University; JOHNSON, BEN - University Of Maine; Lee, Jana; LEVENSEN, HANNAH - North Carolina State University; LOEB, GRED - Cornell University; LOVERO, ANGELA - New Jersey Department Of Agriculture; MILNES, JOSHUA - Washington Department Of Agriculture; PARK, KYOO - Oregon State University; PRADE, PATRICIA - Rutgers University; REGAN, KARLY - Pennsylvania State University; RENKEMA, JUSTIN - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada; RODRIGUEZ-SAON, CESAR - Rutgers University; NEUPANE, SUBIN - University Of Georgia; JONES, CERA - University Of Georgia; SIAL, ASHFAQ - University Of Georgia; SMYTHEMAN, PETER - Washington State University; WALTON, VAUGHN - Oregon State University; Stout, Amanda; VAN TIMMEREN, STEVEN - Michigan State University; WILSON, JULIANA - Michigan State University; Wang, Xingeng

Submitted to: NeoBiota
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/5/2024
Publication Date: 5/8/2024
Citation: Gariepy, T.D., Abram, P.K., Adams, C., Beal, D., Beers, E., Beetle, J., Biddinger, D., Brind’Amour, G., Bruin, A., Buffington, M.L., Burrack, H., Daane, K., Demchak, K., Fanning, P., Gillett, A., Hamby, K., Hogg, B.N., Hoelmer, K., Isaacs, R., Johnson, B., Lee, J.C., Levensen, H., Loeb, G., Lovero, A., Milnes, J., Park, K., Prade, P., Regan, K., Renkema, J., Rodriguez-Saon, C., Neupane, S., Jones, C., Sial, A., Smytheman, P., Walton, V.M., Stout, A.R., Van Timmeren, S., Wilson, J., Wang, X. 2024. Widespread establishment of adventive populations of Leptopilina japonica (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) in North America and development of a multiplex PCR assay to identify key parasitoids of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophi. NeoBiota. 93: 63–90. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.93.121219.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.93.121219

Interpretive Summary: The Asian-native spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) has widely established in the Americas and Europe, becoming a devastating pest of soft-skinned fruits in its invaded regions. To develop a biological control program for this pest, a major natural enemy (a parasitic wasp) of this pest has been intentionally introduced from East Asia and widely released in the USA since 2022. Pre- and post-release surveys in 2022 had detected the parasitic wasp in six USA states and one Canadian province. During the surveys, another major Asian parasitic wasp of SWD was detected in 10 of 11 surveyed USA states despite not having been intentionally introduced. This study reports the widespread establishment of this unintentionally introduced natural enemy of SWD in North America, as well as a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective molecular tool to identify these two major parasitic wasps of SWD as well as other closely related parasitic wasps of fruit flies. Our dataset and molecular tools will facilitate future studies on the establishment and spread of these major natural enemies and their impacts on SWD in the USA.

Technical Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increase in the adventive establishment and spread of parasitoid wasps outside of their native range. However, lack of taxonomic tools can hinder the efficient screening of field-collected samples to document the establishment and range expansion of parasitoids on continent-wide geographic scales. Here we report that Leptopilina japonica (Hymenoptera, Figitidae), a parasitoid of the globally invasive fruit pest Drosophila suzukii (Diptera, Drosophilidae), is now widespread in much of North America despite not having been intentionally introduced. Surveys in 2022 using a variety of methods detected L. japonica in 10 of 11 surveyed USA States and one Canadian Province where it was not previously known to occur. In most surveys, L. japonica was the most common species of D. suzukii parasitoid found. The surveys also resulted in the detection of Ganaspis cf. brasiliensis (Hymenoptera, Figitidae), the recently-released biological control agent of D. suzukii, in six USA States where it had not previously been found. These new detections are likely a result of intentional biological control introductions rather than spread of adventive populations. A species-specific multiplex PCR assay was developed as a rapid, accurate and cost-effective method to distinguish L. japonica, G. cf. brasiliensis, the closely-related cosmopolitan parasitoid Leptopilina heterotoma (Hymenoptera, Figitidae) and other native parasitoid species. This dataset and the associated molecular tools will facilitate future studies of the spread and ecological impacts of these introduced parasitoids on multiple continents.