Experimental parasitism of the parasitoid beetle Dastarcus longulus (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) larvae on invasive longhorn beetle Apriona swainsoni (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) larvae

Abstract

The invasive longhorn beetle Apriona swainsoni (Hope) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a serious pest of Maackia amurensis in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Since there is no effective control measure except the felling of damaged trees, the establishment of biologic control methods is expected. We have conducted inoculation experiments to evaluate whether the domestic parasitoid beetle Dastarcus longulus Sharp (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) is effective as a biologic agent to control A. swainsoni. Estimated first-year larvae and newly emerged larvae of A. swainsoni were frequently parasitized by inoculated and newly emerged larvae of D. longulus. However, estimated second-year larvae were not parasitized. These results suggest that D. longulus could be used as a biologic agent against A. swainsoni, but we must carefully consider the timing and methodology to apply this parasitoid for the control of A. swainsoni.