Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero and Dellapé
Taxonomic placing: Insecta, Hemimetabola, Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Thaumastocoridae.
Common name: Bronze bug.
Host plants: Over 30 species of Eucalyptus.
Distribution: Almost cosmopolitan, and spreading.
Morphology: Adults are 2.3-2.9 mm in length, light brown with darkish spots,
Life history: This multivoltine species annually raises several generations. The adults live for about 6 weeks, fertility coming to ca 60 eggs/female. The eggs are laid in clusters on the host leaves, often around the mid-vein. The adults disperse by clinging to animals or humans, including road transport and even by air.
Economic importance: A pest of Eucalyptus that causes leaf silvering; the entire canopy turns brown-reddish-yellow, with the infested leaves often dropping. Such symptoms are sometimes called “winter bronzing”. In addition, T. peregrinus may cause itching.
Management
Sampling: Yellow sticky traps that are placed at the mid canopy of infested trees. Extent of pest outbreaks can be assessed by the severity of “winter bronzing”.
Microbial pesticides: The application of 2 species of entomopathogenic fungi in Brazil controlled the pest within 3 weeks.
Chemical control: Imidacloprid controlled the pest in some regions.
Biological control: Cleruchoides noackae Lin and Huber (Mymaridae), a solitary egg parasitoid of Australian origin, has successfully been released in South Africa and in Israel.
References
Laudonia, S. and Sasso, R. 2012. The bronze bug Thaumastocoris peregrinus: a new insect recorded in Italy, damaging to Eucalyptus trees. Bulletin of Insectology 65: 89-93.
Mutitu, E.K. (and 6 co-authors), 2013. Biology and rearing of Cleruchoides noackae (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), an egg parasitoid for the biological control of Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae). Journal of Economic Entomology 106: 1979-1985.
Nadel, R.L. and Noack, A.E. 2012. Current understanding of the biology of Thaumastocoris peregrinus in the quest for a management strategy. International Journal of Pest Management 58: 257-266.
Noack, A.E., and Rose, H.A. 2007. Life-history of Thaumastocoris peregrinus and Thaumastocoris sp. in the laboratory with some observations on behaviour. General and Applied Entomology 36: 27-33.
Novoselsky, T. and Freidberg, A. 2016. First record of Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) in the Middle East, with biological notes on its relations with eucalyptus trees. Israel Journal of Entomology 46: 43-55.
Wilcken, C.F. (and 8 co-authors). 2019. Chemical vs entomopathogenic control of Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) via aerial application in eucalyptus plantations. Scientific Reports 9: 9416.
Websites
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