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Invasive insect species threaten the productivity of ecosystems worldwide, and ecological niche models can be used to predict distributions of invaders and guide management efforts. Ecological niche models can also aid monitoring for invasive species that are globally distributed. One such species is the yellow spotted stink bug (Erthesina fullo Thunberg), a polyphagous pest native to Asia that has established in Europe and South America and threatens specialty crops. Here, we used ecological niche models to predict the potential distribution of E. fullo, and created a website to display predictions. We show that E. fullo has peak occurrence probability in areas with annual mean temperatures around 20°C, and that the occurrence probability increases as maximum monthly temperature reaches up to 38°C. The likelihood of occurrence decreased as annual precipitation increased, but increased with greater precipitation in the wettest and driest months. This suggests E. fullo is most suited to regions that are warm and dry and where most precipitation occurs across only a few months, such as southern North America, central and southern South America, southern Europe, southern Africa, and central and eastern Australia. Given that E. fullo is a highly mobile hitchhiking insect that travels through cargo and other containers to new areas, the potential spread of this species into new regions should be carefully monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys Stål, 1855, is a polyphagous agricultural insect pest which causes serious production losses. BMSB also has human lifestyle impacts which arise from its habit of overwintering in homes. The invasiveness of BMSB and the harm it causes is making it a pest of increasing global importance. Over the past 30 years, the bug has spread from its native range in East Asia to North America and Europe. On November 2017 and January 2018, BMSBs were found at two Western Sydney locations in goods imported from northern Italy. While BMSB detections in imports are common in Australia, these encounters were significant because of sightings of bugs outside the infested premises, indicating possible spread into the local environment. Measures undertaken in Western Sydney to contain and eradicate BMSB included fumigation of infested goods, insecticide treatment of the warehouse site and surroundings and delimiting surveillance. Before commencing widespread surveillance, a vegetation survey was conducted to identify known host and potential BMSB host plants around the infested premises. ESRI Collector for ArcGIS™ was used to compile host plant location data which served as the basis for pheromone trap deployment and physical inspection. Surveillance continued until May 2018. No live BMSBs were detected. DNA analysis of dead BMSBs collected from infested goods discerned the presence of two different haplotypes (H): H1 (previously detected in North America, Europe and China) and H23 (North America and Japan). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]