Trophic connections of the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys Stål in the conditions of the invasive area on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus

Abstract

Brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) is a highly aggressive crop pest that has appeared in Russia since 2014. Under the conditions of a new invasive species area, it is important to study the characteristics of the pest biology, including the study of the range of trophic plants. The studies were carried out in the zone of humid subtropics of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in 2014-2019. The study of trophic connections was carried out in the course of regular surveys of the region’s phytocenoses, including agrocenoses, landscape gardening and forest stands. During the observation period, the number of fodder plants of the brown marmorated stink bug was 107 species from 48 botanical families. The most diverse fodder plants of the Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Sapindaceae and Solanaceae families. Among the food plants of H. halys, conifers are noted. It was Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu & W.C. Cheng and Taxodium mucronatum Ten. Migration ways of brown marmorated stink bug from forest plantations to agrocenoses, gardens and city parks have been established. Such movements allows the pest to eat variably and to wait for adverse conditions.