Natural Enemy Communities and Biological Control of Parthenolecanium spp. (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in the Southeastern United States

Abstract

We documented the species composition, seasonal ecology, and impacts of parasitoids and predators of Parthenolecanium corni (Bouché) and P. quercifex (Fitch) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in the urban landscapes of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, United States. Twenty-one parasitoid morphospecies and 12 predator species were collected through rearing, beat sheet, and sticky card trapping. Coccophagus lycimnia (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) was the most abundant parasitoid species in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, whereas Metaphycus sp. 2 (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was the most abundant species in Georgia. Parasitism rates ranged from 59 to 92% in the nymphal population and 27 to 84% in the adult population in South Carolina. Blastothrix sp. 1 (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), C. lycimnia, Encyrtus sp. 1 (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), Eunotus sp., and Pachyneuron sp. (both Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) emerged from adult scale insects and significantly reduced the fecundity of parasitized scale insects. Coccophagus lycimnia was the only parasitoid species emerged from nymphs. Hyperaspis signata (Olivier) species group, Chilocorus stigma Say (both Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), and Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) were the most abundant predators in South Carolina. The majority of natural enemies (87% of parasitoids and 82% of predators) were active from late March to late August and from late April to late October, respectively.

Keywords: biodiversity; fecundity; ornamental tree; parasitism; soft scale.