Susceptibility of four Eucalyptus host species for the development of Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero and Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae)

• Suitability of four Eucalyptus spp. were assessed for development of T. peregrinus.
• Instars duration of T. peregrinus differed significantly between Eucalyptus spp.
• E. fastigata and E. regnans were found to be not suitable hosts.
• A current host plant list for T. peregrinus worldwide is provided.

Thaumastocoris peregrinus is a serious sap-sucking pest of Eucalyptus species in many important forest growing regions worldwide. This invasive insect may not only cause enormous economic losses to the eucalypt forest industry but also negatively affect urban trees in public spaces. We conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate the susceptibility of four Eucalyptus species for the development of T. peregrinus. Three of the tested Eucalyptus species are economically important for the forestry industry worldwide and the other is a popular amenity tree in New Zealand. The development of eggs, nymphs and adults was evaluated in excised leaf assays. Eucalyptus nitens and Eucalyptus nicholii were identified as suitable host plants. The adult leaf type of E. nitens was shown to be critical for successful feeding. Despite initiating feeding T. peregrinus did not survive beyond 1st instar nymph on either Eucalyptus fastigata or Eucalyptus regnans. Accordingly, our study contributes evidence that there may be a lower risk to species within the subgenus Monocalyptus from T. peregrinus damage. These are positive findings for the forestry sector as E. regnans and E. fastigata are both valued Eucalyptus species grown predominantly for pulp in commercial forestry in New Zealand and worldwide.