A New Species of Laricobius (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) from Japan with Phylogeny and a Key for Native and Introduced Congeners in North America

Abstract

Laricobius osakensis Montgomery and Shiyake sp. nov., collected from Adelges tsugae Annand on hemlock [Tsuga sieboldii Carr. and Tsuga diversifolia (Maxim.) Mast.] in Japan, is described and illustrated. The new species was collected from several localities on Honshu, Shikokou, and Kyushu Islands. The genus has not been reported previously from Japan. Morphological features, a molecular phylogeny, and diagnostic DNA sites are provided to distinguish this new species from previously described species of the genus. Because of plans to release L. osakensis for the biological control of A. tsugae in eastern North America, a key and discussion are provided to differentiate it from the native North American species, Laricobius nigrinus Fender, Laricobius laticollis Fall, and Laricobius rubidus LeConte, and from two previously imported species—Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer, which is endemic in Europe, and Laricobius kangdingensis Zilahi-Balogh & Jelinek, which is endemic in China.

First Report on Establishment of Laricobius osakensis (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), a Biological Control Agent for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Adelges tsugae (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), in the Eastern U.S.

“…Laricobius nigrinus Fender is a native predator of HWA in western North America [7], and was first introduced in the eastern United States as a biological control agent in 2003 [7,8]. To date, L. nigrinus has successfully established and spread throughout the eastern United States [7,9].Laricobius osakensis Montgomery and Shiyake, was discovered in Japan in 2005 from sampling Tsuga sieboldii (Carriere) [10]. It has the potential to be a promising biological control agent because it is a natural predator of the HWA strain present in the eastern United States [1,11].…”

Spatiotemporal distribution of the hemlock woolly adelgid predator Laricobius nigrinus after release in eastern hemlock forests

“…Inaccurate species identification may have confounded the dispersal reports for Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer, which became established after introduction to North America for the biological control of Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg) during the 1950-1960s (Schooley et al, 1984). This prevents confirmation of the species collected from dispersal observation (Montgomery et al, 2011). Laricobius erichsonii is morphologically similar to L. rubidus (Leschen, 2011) and voucher specimens cannot be located for most reports of the postrelease recovery of L. erichsonii.…”

Field assessment of hybridization between Laricobius nigrinus and L. rubidus, predators of Adelgidae

“…Laricobius rubidus is native to eastern North America and feeds primarily on pine bark adelgid, Pineus strobi Hartig (hereafter PBA) (Clark and Brown, 1960), while L. nigrinus is native to western North America where it feeds primarily on hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (hereafter HWA) (Havill et al, 2012;Mausel et al, 2011;Zilahi-Balogh et al, 2002). L. nigrinus and L. rubidus are sister species that recently diverged from a common ancestor Montgomery et al, 2011), although the drivers of this divergence are unknown. Beginning in 2003, L. nigrinus was released in the eastern United States as a biological control agent of HWA.…”