ARS | Publication request: Leluthia astigma (Ashmead)(Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Doryctinae)as a parasitoid of Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire(Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae),with assessment of host associations for Nearctic species of Leluthia Cameron

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 23, 2009
Publication Date: May 24, 2010
Citation: Kula, R.R., Knight, K.S., Rebbeck, J., Cappaert, D.L., Bauer, L.S., Gandhi, K.K. 2010. Leluthia astigma (Ashmead)(Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Doryctinae)as a parasitoid of Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire(Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Agrilinae),with assessment of host associations for Nearctic species of Leluthia Cameron. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 112(2):246-257.

Interpretive Summary: Parasitic wasps attack forest pests that cause billions of dollars of damage annually. The wasp treated in this paper attacks emerald ash borer (EAB), a wood-boring beetle from Asia invasive in North America. Emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America, and USDA-APHIS has issued a Federal Quarantine to limit its spread. This paper reports a new record of a wasp native to North America attacking EAB. It is the first confirmed host for this wasp. The validity of published host records for this wasp and closely related species are assessed. Other potential hosts and host plants are reported to facilitate research on the wasp’s host range. This paper will be useful to scientists conducting research on EAB, as well as pest management and regulatory personnel responsible for controlling EAB and limiting its spread.

Technical Abstract: The validity of host and host plant records are assessed for Leluthia astigma (Ashmead), Leluthia floridensis Marsh, and Leluthia mexicana Cameron, the three known species of Leluthia Cameron in the Nearctic Region. Leluthia astigma is reported from the exotic invasive pest Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, emerald ash borer, infesting Fraxinus americana L., white ash, in Delaware County, Ohio. It is the first record of a species of Leluthia associated unequivocally with a determined species of Agrilus Curtis.