2025-10-10 九州大学
図.フウノキギンバネスガ(A, B)とその食害被害(C-E)
<関連情報>
- https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/ja/researches/view/1337
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13355-025-00932-w
日本においてフウに被害を与える侵略的害虫Thecobathra lambda(チョウ目:ヨトウガ科)の分布域、遺伝子構造および天敵 Distribution range, genetic structure, and natural enemies of an invasive pest moth Thecobathra lambda (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) damaging Liquidambar trees in Japan
Kota Sakagami,Shunsuke Tomura,Sadahisa Yagi & So Shimizu
Applied Entomology and Zoology Published:10 October 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s13355-025-00932-w
Abstract
Invasive insects have recently caused significant damage to agricultural and horticultural plants in Japan. In 2017, Thecobathra lambda (Moriuti, 1963) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) was first confirmed in Kyushu, Japan, as an invasive micromoth pest damaging American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.). This study documented occurrence data for this moth at four sites in Hyogo Prefecture on Honshu and 12 sites in Ehime, Kagawa, and Tokushima on Shikoku, with confirmed occurrence at high density at one site per prefecture. The larvae were first observed in Japan feeding on leaves of Liquidambar formosana Hance in Tokushima. Genetic analyses based on partial nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CO1) in T. lambda identified seven haplotypes, including two unique ones in the Hyogo and Kagoshima populations, suggesting multiple invasion events or a single invasion event involving large numbers of individuals. Additionally, five parasitoid wasps associated with the larval stage of T. lambda were identified: Diadegma armillatum (Gravenhorst, 1829) (Ichneumonidae; new to Japan), Goniozus japonicus (Ashmead, 1904) (Bethylidae), and Eulophidae gen. sp. 1–3. These wasps emerged from over half of the T. lambda individuals, suggesting their potential as important biocontrol agents in Japan. Notably, genetic analyses of D. armillatum revealed that a haplotype from Hyogo was identical to one from Europe. Given this finding and the broad host range of D. armillatum, it is likely that trans-Eurasian introduction events have occurred, potentially facilitated by human-mediated transportation of agricultural and horticultural plants.
