A molecular diagnostic tool for the preliminary assessment of host-parasitoid associations in biological control programmes for a new invasive pest

Evaluation of host-parasitoid associations can be tenuous using conventional methods. Molecular techniques are well-placed to identify trophic links and resolve host-parasitoid associations. Establishment of the highly invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) outside Asia has prompted interest in the use of egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) as biological control agents. However, little is known regarding their host ranges. To address this, a DNA barcoding approach was taken wherein general PCR primers for Scelionidae and Pentatomidae were developed to amplify and sequence >500-bp products within the DNA barcoding region of the Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene that would permit identification of key players in this association. Amplification of DNA from Pentatomidae and Scelionidae was consistent across a broad range of taxa within these families, and permitted detection of Scelionidae eggs within H. halys 1h following oviposition. In la...