Artículo de publicación ISIThe harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), is native to Asia but has been intentionally introduced to many countries as a biological control agent of pest insects. In numerous countries, however, it has been introduced unintentionally. The dramatic spread of H. axyridis within many countries has been met with considerable trepidation. It is a generalist top predator, able to thrive in many habitats and across wide climatic conditions. It poses a threat to biodiversity, particularly aphidophagous insects, through competition and predation, and in many countries adverse effects have been reported on other species, particularly coccinellids. However, the patterns are not consistent around the world and seem to be affected by many factors including landscape and climate. Research on H. axyridis has provided detailed insights into invasion biology from broad patterns and processes to approaches in surveillance and monitoring. An impressive number of studies on this alien species have provided mechanistic evidence alongside models explaining large-scale patterns and processes. The involvement of citizens in monitoring this species in a number of countries around the world is inspiring and has provided data on scales that would be otherwise unachievable. Harmonia axyridis has successfully been used as a model invasive alien species and has been the inspiration for global collaborations at various scales. There is considerable scope to expand the research and associated collaborations, particularly to increase the breadth of parallel studies conducted in the native and invaded regions. Indeed a qualitative comparison of biological traits across the native and invaded range suggests that there are differences which ultimately could influence the population dynamics of this invader. Here we provide an overview of the invasion history and ecology of H. axyridis globally with consideration of future research perspectives. We reflect broadly on the contributions of such research to our understanding of invasion biology while also informing policy and people

1 Based on climate data from a network of agrometeorological stations in Norway, the effects of current and future climate regimes on the spatial and temporal distribution of the Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) and the establishment potential of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) were investigated. 2 The study was accomplished using CLIMEX, a dynamic climate matching-and climate response estimation model, which predicts potential distribution of an organism based on its known geographical distribution. 3 Validation of the CLIMEX model predictions for C. pomonella against field data on spatial distribution of the species in Norway resulted in a refined set of climate response parameters for C. pomonella. Temporal occurrence of C. pomonella seems to be affected by climate (temperature) and insecticide treatment against the Apple fruit moth (Argyresthia conjugella) in the previous season. 4 Climate change scenarios (0.1 C increase per degree in latitude in daily maximum and minimum temperatures) indicated an extension of the potential geographical range for C. pomonella, and 23 new locations were found favourable for its long-term survival. The abundance and pest status of C. pomonella could increase dramatically in those locations where the species is already established. 5 Leptinotarsa decemlineata would only temporarily find suitable climate conditions in Norway and hence only be able to establish interim populations in a few regions under current climate conditions. Climate change scenarios for L. decemlineata indicated that the species would be able to establish as far north as 64 N, mainly in the inland of eastern Norway. 6 In general, the methods applied support the process of decreasing the uncertainty both in our knowledge about the pests themselves and about the environment, which are crucial elements in predicting whether a species is able to establish in a new area.

The present study is the first modeling effort at a global scale to predict habitat suitability of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda and its key parasitoids, namely Chelonus insularis, Cotesia marginiventris,Eiphosoma laphygmae,Telenomus remus and Trichogramma pretiosum, to be considered for biological control. An adjusted procedure of a machine-learning algorithm, the maximum entropy (Maxent), was applied for the modeling experiments. Model predictions showed particularly high establishment potential of the five hymenopteran parasitoids in areas that are heavily affected by FAW (like the coastal belt of West Africa from Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to Nigeria, the Congo basin to Eastern Africa, Eastern, Southern and Southeastern Asia and some portions of Eastern Australia) and those of potential invasion risks (western & southern Europe). These habitats can be priority sites for scaling FAW biocontrol efforts. In the context of global warming and the event of accidental FAW introduction, warmer parts of Europe are at high risk. The effect of winter on the survival and life cycle of the pest in Europe and other temperate regions of the world are discussed in this paper. Overall, the models provide pioneering information to guide decision making for biological-based medium and long-term management of FAW across the globe.

This study was undertaken to provide new knowledge on biodiversity of aphids and their complex of natural enemies in vegetable agroecosystems in Benin. During a 2-year survey (2007/2008 to 2008/2009), aphid species, their host plants and natural enemies were identified from samples collected from 29 vegetable and 22 weed species at 30 vegetable production sites across Benin. A total of 82% of the vegetable species and 12% of the weed species were infested with aphids. Aphis gossypii Glover infested a wide range of the vegetables and occurred on 62% of the species, while Aphis craccivora Koch, Aphis spiraecola Patch, Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.), Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Toxoptera odinae (Van de Goot) were collected from a limited number of vegetables, each with a frequency occurrence ranging from 3 to 28%. The weeds Commelina benghalensis L. and Euphorbia hirta L. were common alternative weed hosts for aphids. Common natural enemies were the predators Cheilomenes propinqua (Mulsant), Cheilomenes sulphurea (Olivier) and Ischiodon aegyptius (Wiedemann), the obligate entomopathogen Neozygites sp., and the parasitoids Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson) and Aphelinus ficusae Prinsloo & Neser. Lysiphlebus testaceipes was usually the only primary parasitoid on aphids across the sites and its common host was A. gossypii. From parasitized mummies, five species of hyperparasitoids were collected, the most abundant being Syrphophagus africanus (Gahan). These are the first records of L. testaceipes, S. africanus and A. spiraecola from West Africa. These findings provide baseline knowledge on the aphid fauna of Benin and contribute information for use in the development of sustainable vegetable pest management strategies in the country.

A survey on the occurrence of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) was conducted in selected banana fields from three regions in Tanzania, namely Mbeya (Southern Highlands), Morogoro (Lowland) and Pwani (Coast). The main objective of this study was to isolate EPNs naturally occurring in banana fields in Tanzania and to test their effect on banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus Germar 1824). We report for the first time the presence of EPNs in Tanzania where four (4.4%) out of 90 samples contained nematodes in the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis. EPNs were only isolated in the coastal region in soils with a high sand content. The virulence of nine EPN isolates was tested against larvae and adults of C. sordidus. All isolates caused mortality of the larval stages, whereas the adults appeared resistant to nematode infection. Larval mortality was found to increase significantly with increasing nematode dose. It was also shown that nematodes were able to penetrate and establish in the banana weevil larvae in increasing numbers with increasing nematode dose. The study indicates the potential for including EPNs in management strategies of banana weevil.