Parasites of Harmonia axyridis: current research and perspectives

• Published in: BioControl (Dordrecht, Netherlands) Vol. 62; no. 3; pp. 355 - 371
• Main Authors: Haelewaters, Danny, Zhao, Serena Y., Clusella-Trullas, Susana, Cottrell, Ted E., De Kesel, André, Fiedler, Lukáš, Herz, Annette, Hesketh, Helen, Hui, Cang, Kleespies, Regina G., Losey, John E., Minnaar, Ingrid A., Murray, Katie M., Nedvěd, Oldřich, Pfliegler, Walter P., Raak-van den Berg, C. Lidwien, Riddick, Eric W., Shapiro-Ilan, David I., Smyth, Rebecca R., Steenberg, Tove, van Wielink, Paul S., Viglášová, Sandra, Zhao, Zihua, Ceryngier, Piotr, Roy, Helen E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.06.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 017-4067; Agriculture; Animal Biochemistry; Animal Ecology; Asia; Behavioral Sciences; Bifurcations; Biological control; Biomedical and Life Sciences; ecological invasion; Ectoparasites; Entomology; fungi; Harmonia axyridis; indigenous species; Introduced species; Invasive species; Life Sciences; mites; natural enemies; Nematodes; Parasites; Parasitylenchus; Pest control; Pests; Plant Pathology; Populations; Review; Asia; Enemy release hypothesis; Parasites
• ISSN: 1386-6141; 1573-8248
• DOI: 10.1007/s10526-016-9766-8

Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) has been introduced widely for biological control of agricultural pests. Harmonia axyridis  has established in four continents outside of its native range in Asia and it is considered an invasive alien species (IAS). Despite a large body of work on invasion ecology, establishment mechanisms of IAS and their interactions with natural enemies remain open questions. Parasites, defined as multicellular organisms that do not directly kill the host, could potentially play an important role in regulating host populations. This study presents a review of the parasites of H. axyridis , discussing their distributions and effects on host populations across the host’s native and invasive range. These parasites are: Hesperomyces virescens Thaxt. fungi, Coccipolipus hippodamiae (McDaniel and Morrill) mites, and Parasitylenchus bifurcatus Poinar and Steenberg nematodes.