New host record of Doggerella chasanica (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae) as a larval parasitoid of the serious forest pest Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in Korea

Abstract

South Korea has been affected by pine wilt disease (PWD), with the vectors Monochamus alternatus Hope, 1842 and M. saltuarius Gebler, 1830 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and PWD has expanded severely in southeastern South Korea since the late 2010s. In the pursuit of environmental-friendly pest management, we searched for potential natural enemies of M. alternatus. In 2019, we reared specimens of M. alternatus and confirmed that members of Doggerella (Lelejobracon) chasanica (Tobias, 2000) eclosed from them, for the first time. The average parasitism rate for D. (L.) chasanica was 4.2%, with a maximum parasitism rate of 5.9% in the sites investigated. Herein, we provide information on how we collected and reared M. alternatus along with a brief biological note, as well as re-description and a brief biological note of the parasitoid D. chasanica.