When introductions of natural enemies are proposed against invasive pest species, the interaction between native predators and introduced natural enemies in limiting the abundance of their shared prey populations is often overlooked. The red gum lerp psyllid, Glycaspis brimblecombei (Homoptera: Psylloidea) was discovered on Eucalyptus camaldulensis (red gum) in California in 1998. Red gum from Australia has been used in California as an ornamental for over 75 years. The psyllid spread rapidly throughout many counties in the state and in June of 2000, releases of a parasitoid, Psyllaephagus bliteus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), from Australia were initiated in an attempt to control G. brimblecombei. We conducted field experiments, and complementary laboratory bioassays, to evaluate the interactions between generalist predators and an introduced parasitoid. Our results may provide valuable information into the regulation of exotic pest populations on exotic plants and suggest useful avenues for biological control research relying on introduced natural enemies.
Species 1: Homoptera Spondyliaspidae Glycaspis brimblecombei
Species 2: Hymenoptera Encyrtidae Psyllaephagus bliteus
Keywords: biological control, predator-predator interaction
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