Fortuitous biological control of the invasive mealybug Phenacoccus peruvianus in Southern Europe

How a slow-ovipositing parasitoid can succeed as a biological control agent of the invasive mealybug Phenacoccus peruvianus: implications for future classical and conservation biological control programs

“…However, Acerophagus n. sp. near coccois is a successful biological control agent of P. peruvianus in eastern Spain (Beltrà et al 2013b). These inconsistent results raised the question of whether the parasitoid was able to overcome ant protection.…”

“…Despite this long oviposition, Acerophagus n. sp. near coccois is a successful parasitoid of P. preuvianus in eastern Spain because of the low number of colonies tended by ants (Beltrà et al 2013b). However, these findings should be taken into account in classical and conservative biological control programs where aggressive ants are abundant, since Acerophagus n. sp.…”

“…It is a polyphagous insect that feeds on several ornamental plants, such as Bougainvillea spp., Myoporum laetum, and Aucuba japonica, and is a serious pest in urban landscapes and ornamental nurseries. A recent study shows that P. peruvianus has been fortuitously controlled by a new species of genus Acerophagus Smith in eastern Spain (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) (Beltrà et al 2013b). This parasitoid of unknown origin was first recorded in 2008 and has displaced the native parasitoid Leptomastix epona Walker (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) as the most abundant biological control agent of P. peruvianus exceeding parasitism rates of 50 % at the end of summer (Beltrà et al 2013b).…”

First record of the bougainvillea mealybug Phenacoccus peruvianus in Greece

“…Studies on the natural enemies of P. peruvianus in the Mediterranean revealed high levels of parasitization by a species belonging to thegenus Acerophagus, which is believed to have been accidentally introduced to the area (Beltra et al 2013 …”

Two new Aprostocetus species (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae), fortuitous parasitoids of invasive eulophid gall inducers (Tetrastichinae) on Eucalyptus and Erythrina

“…(Diptera: Agromyzidae). More recently, examples have been seen of fortuitous biological control of two mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) by encyrtid parasitoids: the spherical mealybug Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) on Guam and in the Northern Marianas Islands (Nechols 2003), and Phenacoccus peruvianus Granara de Willink in Spain (Beltrà et al 2013).…”