title: Guiding Classical Biological Control of an Invasive Mealybug Using Integrative Taxonomy.
abstract: Delottococcus aberiae De Lotto (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a mealybug of Southern African origin that has recently been introduced into Eastern Spain. It causes severe distortions on young citrus fruits and represents a growing threat to Mediterranean citrus production. So far, biological control has proven unsatisfactory due to the absence of efficient natural enemies in Spain. Hence, the management of this pest currently relies only on chemical control. The introduction of natural enemies of D. aberiae from the native area of the pest represents a sustainable and economically viable alternative to reduce the risks linked to pesticide applications. Since biological control of mealybugs has been traditionally challenged by taxonomic misidentification, an intensive survey of Delottococcus spp. and their associated parasitoids in South Africa was required as a first step towards a classical biological control programme. Combining morphological and molecular characterization (integrative taxonomy) a total of nine mealybug species were identified in this study, including three species of Delottococcus. Different populations of D. aberiae were found on wild olive trees, in citrus orchards and on plants of Chrysanthemoides monilifera, showing intra-specific divergences according to their host plants. Interestingly, the invasive mealybug populations from Spanish orchards clustered together with the population on citrus from Limpopo Province (South Africa), sharing COI haplotypes. This result pointed to an optimum location to collect natural enemies against the invasive mealybug. A total of 14 parasitoid species were recovered from Delottococcus spp. and identified to genus and species level, by integrating morphological and molecular data. A parasitoid belonging to the genus Anagyrus, collected from D. aberiae in citrus orchards in Limpopo, is proposed here as a good biological control agent to be introduced into Spain.
authors.affiliation: Institut Agroforestal Mediterrani, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain.
authors.forename: Aleixandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beltrà
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Addison
authors.affiliation: Institut Agroforestal Mediterrani, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ávalos
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900 Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crochard
authors.affiliation: Institut Agroforestal Mediterrani, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain.
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Garcia-Marí
authors.affiliation: Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici, Italy.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guerrieri
authors.affiliation: Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: Jan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Giliomee
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900 Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Thibaut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Malausa
authors.affiliation: Institut Agroforestal Mediterrani, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Navarro-Campos
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900 Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Palero
authors.affiliation: Institut Agroforestal Mediterrani, Universitat Politècnica de València, València, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002957:Citrus / Q000469:parasitology; D006239:Haplotypes; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006927:Hymenoptera / Q000502:physiology; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity