With the powers of biocontrol and taxonomy combined…. Trissolcus ID workshops

Efforts to manage invasive stink bugs using biological control has fueled a surge in research on the taxonomy and systematics of egg parasitoid wasps in the family Scelionidae. Prominent among them is Trissolcus, a genus of importance around the world for controlling stink bugs. Development of identification tools for native and exotic Trissolcus in the Nearctic region included input from participants in parasitoid identification workshops, resulting in a product that was tested by end users prior to publication. Subsequent workshops have advanced the identification skills of participants in North America and Europe, while providing a boon to taxonomy via specimens and host data. The Eastern Hemisphere is the newest front for Trissolcus taxonomy, raising the possibility of identification workshops in Australasia.