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Molecular identification of white mango scale, Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead (Homoptera: Diaspididae), and its associated natural enemies in western Ethiopia

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Abstract

White mango scale, Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead, was first reported in Ethiopia in 2010 from mango orchards belonging to “RAJ Agro Industry Loko Mango Farm”, formerly named as “Green Focus Ethiopia LTD”. White mango scales were monitored for the presence of natural enemies at three study sites in western Oromia and Assosa zone of Benishangul-Gumuze Regional State. Specimens of A. tubercularis, its predators, and its parasitoids were identified via DNA sequencing. DNA sequences of the COI gene of all Ethiopian scales sampled were identical and confirmed as a single haplotype of A. tubercularis. Three predators of A. tubercularis were recovered. These included two Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Rhizobius lopanthe (Blaisdell) and, a species of Platynaspis, and a third unidentified beetle species from the family Nitidulidae.DNA sequences of the parasitoid specimens identified two species of Encarsia, E. lounsburyi Berlese & Paoli and E. citrina Craw (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). These natural enemies were identified for the first time as resident natural enemies of A. tubercularis in Ethiopia. During specimen collection, the newly associated adults and larvae of the predators were found feeding voraciously on live A. tubercularis. The parasitoids were found parasitizing all stages of sessile A. tubercularis. The novel association of resident predators and parasitoid wasps with A. tubercularis has likely developed recently in Ethiopia. Future work will help determine if the resident natural enemy complex can be used for conservation biological control of A. tubercularis, to improve cost-effective pest management of this exotic insect pest in Ethiopia, along with other compatible control options.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request and the sequenced DNA accession number assigned by GenBank for Molecular identification of Aulacaspis tubercularis and the Natural Enemies were deposited in GenBank Database.

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Custom code applicable by publisher.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would thank RAJ Agro Industry Loko Mango Commercial Farm and East Wollega zone Forest and Wild life enterprise, Bako High School Director MARC and the many mango growers who made much of this work possible by permitting us to collect data in their mango orchards. Assosa Zone Agricultural and Natural Resource Office, East Wollega zone of Diga and Guto Gida districts and West Wollega zone of Gimbi and Mana Sibu districts of Agricultural and Natural Resource Offices were acknowledged for coordinating the Administrative kebeles’ and for availing the mango growers. We thank Mr. Getu Minase from East Wollega zone Agricultural and Natural Resource Office for his cooperation in preparing the study area map. We also thank the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute for facilitating the formal documents required to send the genetic materials abroad for molecular identification, and Dr. Richard Redak (Department Chair) for approving the collaboration with UCR. Finally, we thank Gregory A. Evans and Scott A. Schneider (USDA-ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD, USA) for providing morphological conformation of the identity of the scales.

Funding

Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MoSHE), Haramaya University and Wollega University made financial support partly for the Doctorial grant to the principal author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Sciences College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

    Temesgen Fita, Mulatu Wakgari & Kebede Woldetsadike

  2. Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Emana Getu

  3. Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, 92521, CA, USA

    Paul Rugman Jones

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  1. Temesgen Fita
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  2. Emana Getu
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  4. Kebede Woldetsadike
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  5. Paul Rugman Jones
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Contributions

Temesgen F. carried out the experiments and wrote the manuscript. Prof. Emana G., Dr. Mulatu W., and Prof. Kebede W/ts all as an advisory committee members advices the principal author (researcher) throughout the work and reviews the manuscript and Dr. Paul Rugman-Jones run the DNA sequencing, analyzed the sequenced data and review the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Temesgen Fita.

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The authors declared that there are no competing interests.

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Fita, T., Getu, E., Wakgari, M. et al. Molecular identification of white mango scale, Aulacaspis tubercularis Newstead (Homoptera: Diaspididae), and its associated natural enemies in western Ethiopia. Int J Trop Insect Sci 41, 2997–3009 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-021-00489-5

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