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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Newark, Delaware » Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #414503
Research Project: Biology, Ecology, Genetics, and Genomics of Introduced Species for Biological Control of Invasive and Other Insect Pests

Location: Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit

Title: Assessing potential for biological control of Japanese giant silkworm Caligula japonica using Anastatus gansuensis, a thelytokous parasitoid firstly reported in Eupelmidae

Author
item CHEN, YONG-MING - Guizhou University
item GONG, RUN-NA - Guizhou University
item Wang, Xingeng
item DESNEUX, NICOLAS - National Council For Scientific Research-Cnrs
item ZANG, LIAN-SHENG - Guizhou University

Submitted to: Pest Management Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/13/2024
Publication Date: 9/30/2024
Citation: Chen, Y., Gong, R., Wang, X., Desneux, N., Zang, L. 2024. Assessing potential for biological control of Japanese giant silkworm Caligula japonica using Anastatus gansuensis, a thelytokous parasitoid firstly reported in Eupelmidae. Pest Management Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.8447.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.8447

Interpretive Summary: Japanese giant silkworm is a newly emerging defoliator pest of forest and fruit trees. It is causing severe economic losses in East Asia but has not yet been reported in North America. Current control strategies rely on broad-spectrum insecticides. To develop effective and environmentally friendly biological control strategies for this pest, we used an alternate host (Chinese oak silkworm egg) to rear a major parasitic wasp of the Japanese giant silkworm and evaluated the efficiency of reared wasps on the target pest. Our results showed that this parasitic wasp can be efficiently reared on this alternate host egg, and the reared wasps had a high biological control potential against the target pest. This study provides valuable information for rearing this parasitic wasp for biological control of this emerging pest.

Technical Abstract: Caligula japonica, commonly known as Japanese giant silkworm (JGS), is a serious defoliating pest of fruit and forest trees in East Asia. To develop eco-friendly and cost-effective control methods for this pest, we evaluated the potential for biological control of JGS using its egg parasitoid Anastatus gansuensis reared on a factitious host, the Chinese oak silkworm (COS) Antheraea pernyi. We compared the reproductive traits and population increase potential of the parasitoid on JGS and COS eggs, as well as its functional responses to host egg densities and mutual interference at different parasitoid densities. Anastatus gansuensis was confirmed to be strictly synovigenic, with most eggs maturing post-emergence, and produced < 1% male offspring on both host eggs. Although A. gansuensis females reared from COS eggs had longer longevity and oviposition period, and higher fecundity and net reproductive rate compared to those reared from JGS eggs, the parasitoid had a higher intrinsic rate of increase on JGS than COS eggs. The parasitoid exhibited a type II functional response to increasing host densities, with mutual interference among foraging female wasps occurred at higher parasitoid densities. Our results indicate a high potential for biological control of JGS using A. gansuensis. The parasitoid can be efficiently reared on COS eggs and used against JGS. It may be essential to provide food for emerging adult parasitoids allowing time for egg maturation prior to the rearing or augmentative release of the parasitoid. Some mutual interference at high parasitoid rearing densities likely reduces per capita parasitization efficiency of A. gansuensis.