Trissolcus japonicus

This week brings a photograph of Trissolcus japonicus emerging from an egg of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). As you may know, this invasive species of stink bug is an economically injurious pest on a wide variety of plants and an unwanted invader of human homes. This stink bug has been established on the east coast of the United States for a decade. It is now spreading on the west coast of the US and in Europe where it threatens apples, olives, figs, grapes, and many more delicious fruits and vegetables.

Like the brown marmorated stink bug, T. japonicus, is native to east Asia. It is under study as a biological control agent because it coevolved with the stink bug and it efficiently kills its eggs. Trissolcus japonicus was recently discovered to have become established in the United States on its own (http://jhr.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=4661), almost certainly by hitching a ride in a transport vessel.

Humans so far have been unable to control the stink bug, and it coming years we will see how well T. japonicus succeeds.

This image was produced by Smithsonian intern Annika Salzberg, and the full resolution version may be found here: http://specimage.osu.edu/getImageInfo.html?image_id=86082.

It is a life-like image, but in fact is staged. This female specimen was unable to fully emerge from the egg and died in the position you see here. The eggs were subsequently glued to a leaf for the photograph.