Assessment of the Impact of the Egg Parasitoid, Paratelenomus saccharalis (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), on Populations of the Kudzu Bug, Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), in North Florida and South Georgi

The kudzu bug Megacopta cribraria (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) has become a pest of economic importance ever since its introduction to the Southeastern United States from Asia in 2009. It causes serious economic damage to leguminous crops (soybeans, bean, pigeon pea, mung bean, velvet bean, among others.) and is a nuisance to homeowners. One natural host-specific egg parasitoid of the kudzu bug in Asia has also become established in the United States. This research was designed to evaluate the prevalence, levels of parasitism, host specificity, and the phylogenetic relationships of the egg parasitoid, Paratelenomus saccharalis (Dodd) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), on populations of kudzu bug in Florida. Egg masses of kudzu bugs were collected biweekly from urban, forested and agricultural areas in four counties. They were transported to the Center for Biological Control laboratory (CBC) at Florida A&M University where they were kept at ambient temperature until the emergence of either adult parasitoids or kudzu bug nymphs.;No parasitoids were found in Jefferson County, Florida, or Grady County, Georgia. In Leon and Gadsden counties (Florida) in 2016, parasitism was mostly limited to urban areas (Mahan Dr., Eugenia St. and Tom Brown Park in Tallahassee) with parasitism ranging from 20-37% and to one forested site (south of Quincy) with a parasitism rate of 7%. The levels of parasitism were significantly different between the three habitats sampled in 2016 (0% agricultural, 2.47% forested and 16.16% urban). In 2017, parasitoids were more prevalent in agricultural areas (USDA-ARS and UF-NFREC) than in urban and forested areas and the highest level of parasitism (61%) was recorded at one agricultural site, but differences between areas were not significant. The total level of parasitism for all sites increased from 8% in 2016 to 14% in 2017, and the difference between years was statistically significant.;Parasitoids that emerged were tested for host-specificity against eggs of two selected beneficial predators. Paratelenomus saccharalis did not parasitize the eggs of the beneficial insects studied: Podisus maculiventris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and Harmonia axyidis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae).;Paratelenomus saccharalis is now widespread in north Florida; it is found in several landscapes and can be an effective control agent for the kudzu bug. In 2017, we also found another egg parasitoid Ooencyrtus nezarae (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) parasitizing the kudzu bug in north Florida. The pathway from Alabama to Florida for this new parasitoid has yet to be determined.;The phylogenetic relationships of the Florida isolate of Paratelenomus saccharalis were compared with samples from Mississippi and other regions using EF-1alpha gene sequences. These North American populations were highly homogenous, but not clearly related to samples from Japan, Thailand, or Italy.