The Asian vinegar fly Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing Drosophila [SWD]) has emerged as a major invasive insect pest of small and stone fruits in both the Americas and Europe since the late 2000s. While research efforts have rapidly progressed in Asia, North America, and Europe over the past 5 years, important new insights may be gained in comparing and contrasting findings across the regions affected by SWD. In this review, we explore common themes in the invasion biology of SWD by examining (1) its biology and current pest status in endemic and recently invaded regions; (2) current efforts and future research needs for the development of predictive models for its geographic expansion; and (3) prospects for both natural and classical (=importation) biological control of SWD in invaded habitats, with emphasis on the role of hymenopteran parasitoids. We conclude that particularly fruitful areas of research should include fundamental studies of its overwintering, host-use, and dispersal capabilities; as well as applied studies of alternative, cost-effective management techniques to complement insecticide use within the integrated pest management framework. Finally, we emphasize that outreach efforts are critical to effective SWD management by highlighting successful Communicated by M. Traugott. Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (strategies and insights gained from various geographic regions.Keywords Biological control Á Drosophila Á Frugivore Á Integrated pest management Á Invasion biology Key message• Spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) is a major invasive pest of soft fruits in the Americas and Europe. • We review the current global distribution and economic impacts of SWD, develop models for predicting its further spread, and discuss the prospects for biological control of this pest. • The following research areas into SWD biology appear particularly promising: its biology at low temperatures, the dispersal and migratory abilities of adults, and exploration in Asian regions for potential classical biological control agents.

Between plagues, the solitarious desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is generally thought to exist as small populations, which are particularly prone to extinction events in arid regions of Africa and Asia. Given the high genetic structuring observed in one geographical area (the Eritrean coast) by former authors, a metapopulation dynamics model involving repeated extinction and colonization events was favoured. In this study, we assessed the validity of a demographic scenario involving temporary populations of the solitarious phase of the desert locust by analysing large-scale population genetic data. We scored 24 microsatellites in 23 solitarious population samples collected over most of the species range during remission. We found very little genetic structuring and little evidence of declining genetic diversity. A Bayesian clustering method distinguished four genetically differentiated units. Three groups were largely consistent with three population samples which had undergone recent bottleneck events. Nevertheless, the last genetically homogeneous unit included all individuals from the remaining 18 population samples and did not show evidence of demographic disequilibrium. An approximate Bayesian computation treatment indicated a large population size for this main genetic group, moderately reduced between plague and remission but still containing tens of thousands of individuals. Our results diverge from the hypothesis of a classical metapopulation dynamics model. They instead support the scenario in which large populations persist in the solitarious phase of the desert locust.