Insights into the prey of Vespa mandarinia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in Washington state, obtained from metabarcoding of larval feces

Frontiers in Insect Science

Insect Science

Luke R. Tembrock¹  Mark Wildung²  Todd M. Gilligan³  Telissa Wilson⁴  Jessica Orr⁴  Chris Looney⁴  Sapphitah Dickerson⁴ 

[1] Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States;Genomics Core Lab, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States;United States Department of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO, United States;Washington State Department of Agriculture, Olympia, WA, United States;

关键词: DNA metabarcoding;    invasive species;    environmental DNA;    diet analysis;    fecal pellet;    Apis mellifera;    Vespa mandarinia;    giant hornet;   

DOI  :  10.3389/finsc.2023.1134781

 received in 2022-12-30, accepted in 2023-02-06,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The northern giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), was detected for the first time in North America in 2019. Four nests have since been located and removed in northwestern Washington State as part of an extensive survey and eradication program. This recent introduction into North America has prompted new research on the biology and ecology of V. mandarinia to help inform management strategies. In its native range, V. mandarinia is known to prey on a variety of insects including the economically important honey bee species Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. Although A. cerana has developed defense mechanisms against attack by V. mandarinia, A. mellifera have no such defenses and an entire hive can be quickly destroyed by only a few hornets. In North America the hornet has been observed foraging on paper wasps (Polistes dominula) and honey bees, but little else is known about prey use in its novel range. To address this knowledge gap, we employed a DNA metabarcoding approach to characterize species detected in larval feces collected from 3 of the 4 Washington V. mandarinia nests found to date. Sequences were recovered for 56 species across fourteen orders, of which 36 species were likely prey items and 20 were suspected inquilines. The most frequently detected species were other social Hymenoptera, with Dolichovespula maculata, P. dominula, and A. mellifera present in most samples. All of the species detected, except for A. mellifera, represent new prey records for V. mandarinia, with eight families of insects newly associated with giant hornets. These results suggest that V. mandarinia in Washington preys on an assortment of insects similar to those documented in its native range, and that this new invader has readily incorporated novel species into its foraging and diet.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Wilson, Looney, Tembrock, Dickerson, Orr, Gilligan and Wildung