title: Investigating Biological Control Agents for Controlling Invasive Populations of the Mealybug Pseudococcus comstocki in France.
abstract: Pseudococcus comstocki (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a mealybug species native to Eastern Asia and present as an invasive pest in northern Italy and southern France since the start of the century. It infests apple and pear trees, grapevines and some ornamental trees. Biocontrol programmes against this pest proved successful in central Asia and North America in the second half of the 20th century. In this study, we investigated possible biocontrol agents against P. comstocki, with the aim of developing a biocontrol programme in France. We carried out systematic DNA-barcoding at each step in the search for a specialist parasitoid. First we characterised the French target populations of P. comstocki. We then identified the parasitoids attacking P. comstocki in France. Finally, we searched for foreign mealybug populations identified a priori as P. comstocki and surveyed their hymenopteran parasitoids. Three mealybug species (P. comstocki, P. viburni and P. cryptus) were identified during the survey, together with at least 16 different parasitoid taxa. We selected candidate biological control agent populations for use against P. comstocki in France, from the species Allotropa burrelli (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) and Acerophagus malinus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). The coupling of molecular and morphological characterisation for both pests and natural enemies facilitated the programme development and the rejection of unsuitable or generalist parasitoids.
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: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Mathilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delaunay
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fleisch
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Géraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Groussier-Bout
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Warot
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: Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Università 133, 80055 Portici, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guerrieri
authors.affiliation: CIRAD, UMR CBGP INRA CIRAD Montpellier Supagro, 755 avenue du Campus Agropolis, CS 30016, 34988, Montferrier-sur-Lez Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Gérard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Delvare
authors.affiliation: Università di Padova, Dipartimento Agronomia, Animali, Alimenti, Risorse naturali e Ambiente, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pellizzari
authors.affiliation: Imamoglu Vocational School, Çukurova University, Adana, 01330, Turkey.
authors.forename: M Bora
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Kaydan
authors.affiliation: Lattakia Center for Rearing Natural Enemies, Lattakia, Syria.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Al-Khateeb
authors.affiliation: ANSES, Laboratoire de la Santé des Végétaux, Unité d'entomologie et Plantes Invasives 755 avenue du Campus Agropolis, CS 30016, Montferrier-sur-Lez, France.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Germain
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brancaccio
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Le Goff
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bessac
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ris
authors.affiliation: INRA, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kreiter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D061046:Biological Control Agents; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D005602:France; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007300:Insect Control / Q000379:methods*; D010271:Parasites / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011155:Population Control
chemical_list: D061046:Biological Control Agents