An Insight into the Role of as Biological Control Agent of in Northeastern Italy.

Sustainable strategies such as classical or augmentative biological control are currently being evaluated for the long-term management of the alien invasive pest (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). A three-year study carried out in northeastern Italy was performed to investigate the distribution and field performance of the egg parasitoid (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), in comparison with other parasitoid species. In the study area, adventive populations of were present since 2016, representing the earliest detection of this species in Europe. was the most abundant parasitoid and showed a higher "parasitoid impact" (i.e., number of parasitized eggs over the total number of field-collected eggs) compared to the other species, i.e., (Geoffroy) (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), (Wollaston) and Rjachovskij (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). The hyperparasitoid (Huang and Liao) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) was also recorded. Phylogenetic analysis of population distinguished two clades, one covering samples from Italy, Japan and China, the other from South Korea. The present study provides promising results for the biological control of a pest that is having a dramatic impact on a wide range of crops worldwide.