Invasion of a symbiosis in Georgia, USA: The establishment of a stinkbug, Megacopta cribraria, and its bacteria

In October 2009 the first species of the family Plataspidae, Megacopta cribraria, in the Western hemisphere was discovered in Georgia, USA feeding on kudzu vine. In January 2010 it was confirmed that an obligate bacterial endosymbiont, which has been implicated in the survival and adaptation of the insect, was confirmed from DNA sequence. Commonly known in Asia as the bean, lablab bean or field bean bug, its large populations continue to quickly spread to contiguous counties in Georgia. We report on the genetic data and the implications of these data for adaptation and dispersal of this bug.