Tachinid parasitoids as exotic or native natural enemies of herbivorous insects.- ECE 2018 - XI European Congress Of Entomology 2-6 July 2018, Napoli, Italy, Book of Abstracts, p. 32

The role of tachinid parasitoids as natural enemies of herbivorous insects is underestimated. This is partially due to their relatively low number, as they represent fewer than 20% of all insect parasitoids, most of which are hymenopterans. Yet, this family of dipterans is the largest and most important group of non-hymenopteran parasitoids, due to their characteristics, which include different oviposition strategies that allow them to parasitize hosts in different environments. Many tachinids are unique because of their capacity to attack hosts hidden in the soil or in plants. Although these parasitoids are overall disregarded, there are several examples of attempts (either successful or not) to utilize them as exotic natural enemies of insect pests in classical biocontrol programs, especially in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions and, to a lesser extent, in the Australian region. Conversely, examples in the Palearctic region are lacking. Failures were often due lack of knowledge on parasitoid biology and host-parasitoid interactions, as well as improper rearing procedures and shipment methods. The use of native tachinids in augmentative biocontrol programs against herbivorous insects has been even rarer. To date, a very few species (all natural enemies of lepidopterans) have been mass produced in biofactories, mainly in Central and Latin America. In Europe, the potential of tachinid parasitoids as biological control agents deserves to be better investigated. Some native, or naturalized, species (i.e. Exorista larvarum and Trichopoda pennipes) have shown the potential to adapt to exotic pests, such as, for E. larvarum, the geranium bronze Cacyreus marshalli and the box tree moth Cydalima perspectalis and, for T. pennipes, the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys. Studies on acceptance and suitability of these exotic hosts for the two tachinid species may constitute a base for their exploitation as natural enemies of the target insect pests.