The Biology and Preliminary Host Range of Megacopta cribraria (Heteroptera: Plataspidae) and Its Impact on Kudzu Growth

Abstract

The bean plataspid, Megacopta cribraria (F.), recently was discovered in the United States feeding on kudzu, Pueraria montana Lour. (Merr.) variety lobata (Willd.), an economically important invasive vine. We studied its biology on kudzu and its impact on kudzu growth. We also tested its ability to use other common forest legumes for oviposition and development. Flight intercept traps operated from 17 May 2010 to 31 May 2011 in a kudzu field near Athens, GA showed three peaks of adult flight activity suggesting there are two generations per year on kudzu. Vine samples examined for eggs from April 2010 to April 2011 and June to October 2011 showed two periods of oviposition activity in 2010, which coincided with the peaks in adult activity. In 2011, the second period of oviposition began on or before 24 June and then egg abundance declined gradually thereafter until late August when we recovered <2 eggs/0.5 m of vine. Samples of the five nymphal instars and adults on vines did not show similar trends in abundance. Adults did not lay eggs on the various legume species tested in 2010 in a no-choice test possibly because the cages were too small. In the 2011 field host range experiments conducted in a kudzu field by using 12 legume species, M. cribraria preferentially oviposited on kudzu over soybean, Glycine max Merrill., but they still laid 320 eggs per plant on soybean. Lespedeza hirta (L.) Hornem. and Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don had 122.2 and 108.4 eggs per plant, respectively. Kudzu and soybean were the only species M. cribraria completed development on. Plots protected from M. cribraria feeding by biweekly insecticide applications had 32.8% more kudzu biomass than unprotected plots. Our results show that M. cribraria has a significant impact on kudzu growth and could help suppress this pest weed.

Confirmed Distribution and Occurrence of Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Plataspidae) in the Southeastern United States

“…In this greenhouse study, the number of eggs laid by the kudzu bugs on kudzu (natural host) and soybean did not differ significantly as reported by Medal et al (2013b). This finding differs from the field host range experiment with 12 legume species conducted by Zhang et al (2012), in which the kudzu bug preferentially oviposited on kudzu over soybean. The kudzu bug is causing significant yield losses to soybean in the southeastern United States.…”

“…The kudzu bug is also a pest of soybean, Glycine max Merrill (Fabales: Fabaceae), and other leguminous plants and various fruit trees (Li et al 2001;Wang et al 2004;Eger et al 2010). In the infested areas of the continental United States, the kudzu bug is found feeding on invasive kudzu vines (Zhang et al 2012;Ruberson et al 2013). Additionally, it was reported causing significant feeding damage to soybean in the southern United States (Greene et al 2012;Gardner et al 2013;Seiter et al 2013a,b;Roberts et al 2014;Musser et al 2015) and on caged fig trees, Ficus carica L. (Rosales: Moraceae), in a field trial in Auburn, Alabama (Hu & Carroll 2012).…”

Discovery of Paratelenomus saccharalis (Dodd) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), an Egg Parasitoid of Megacopta cribraria F. (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) in its Expanded North American Range

“…It spread rapidly from the original 9 Georgia counties to 11 states in 2013 (Megacopta Working Group 2015). The primary reproductive hosts of M. cribraria in Georgia are kudzu and soybean (Zhang et al 2012). In soybean, excessive feeding by M. cribraria on stems, petioles, and leaves appears to weaken and stress plants, resulting in fewer pods per plant, fewer seeds per pod, and smaller seed size for infested plants compared with uninfested plants .…”

Diversity of mung bean insect pests and their natural enemies in farmers’ fields in East Java, Indonesia

“…In August 2010, the insect was found in 48 counties in northeast Georgia and 13 counties in northwest South Carolina . Two years latter, M. cribraria populations had spread to most of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina (Zhang et al 2012), with additional sightings in Virginia and Alabama Reisig and Bacheler 2013). Currently, kudzu bug populations have spread to all districts of South Carolina; most counties in Georgia and North Carolina; to Alabama, and most districts that grow soybeans in Virginia, Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi and in parts of Arkansas and Louisiana; and continue to spread every year (Gardner 2015).…”

“…On soybean crops, kudzu bugs cause a significant reduction in crop yields (Blount et al 2016;Seiter et al 2013). Studies in Southern and Central China show that severe pest attacks cause defoliation and disorders of photosynthesis as a result of sooty mold which grows on the excretion of M. cribraria (Zhang et al 2012). Soybean yield losses due to damage from kudzu bug have been reported in the range of 1-50% ).…”