Robert Koch, koch0125@umn.edu, Robert C. Venette, venet001@umn.edu, and William D. Hutchison, hutch002@umn.edu. University of Minnesota, Department of Entomology, 219 Hodson Hall, 1980 Folwell Avenue, Saint Paul, MN
After the initial detection of the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), in North America, this invasive coccinellid rapidly expanded its range to cover much of the continental U.S. and southern Canada. Recently, isolated populations of H. axyridis have been detected in Europe and South America. To determine the potential geographic range of H. axyridis in these new regions, we used a combination of predictive tools. Climate matching software, CLIMEX, was used to measure the probability of establishment by comparing the climate in the native range to the climate in potential new locations. The climate matching resulted in an overly conservative model (i.e., predicted an inability to establish in areas where it is already established). To further evaluate the probability of establishment, we developed species-specific parameters to describe the population-level effects of temperature and precipitation, and used CLIMEX to model the seasonal dynamics at Rosemount, Minnesota. The predicted seasonal dynamics were compared to a 5-year data set of adult H. axyridis capture in blacklight traps at Rosemount. Population growth parameters from the resulting model were then applied to predict the potential worldwide range of H. axyridis. Results of the models will be discussed in the context of an ecological risk assessment of potential effects of H. axyridis.
Species 1: Coleoptera Coccinellidae
Harmonia axyridis (multicolored Asian lady beetle)
Keywords: invasive, risk assessment
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