This document summarizes a report on the observation of natural parasitoid species in eucalyptus plantations in Laos that control the gall-forming insect Leptocybe invasa. Two known parasitoid species, Selitrichodes kryceri and Quadrastichus mendeli, were identified on gall-infested eucalyptus trees in central and southern Laos, providing potential biological control. The identification was made through microscopic analysis and comparison to published pictures. This discovery of natural parasitoids established in eucalyptus plantations in Laos may help control the damaging L. invasa insect pest across the region without reliance on chemical pesticides.

1. A new report on occurrence of Leptocybe invasa (Fisher & La Salle) parasitoid species
in Natural Eucalyptus plantation of Laos PDR outside Australia.
Santoshagouda V. Patil*
Manager – Research and Development, Birla Lao Pulp & Plantation Company Ltd., Laos PDR
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Current contacting address:* LGF03, Nammamane Apartment, Vidyanagar, Hubli-580021 and Karnataka State,
India. vp.santosh@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Birla Lao Pulp & Plantations Co., Ltd., Burapha Agroforestry Co., Ltd., Oji Lao Plantation Forest Co., Ltd., Stora
Enso Lao Co., Ltd. and Sun Paper holding Laos Co., Ltd along with private farmers are raising the Eucalyptus
plantation in Lao PDR to produce the pulp, poles and wood for building material. The majority of these pulps are to
be a raw material for paper and viscose staple fiber industries. The main pulp producing planting material is
Eucalyptus spp. and these species have several threats during growth and development. Leptocybe invasa, a gall
producing insect is one among the major threat in recent times. But no effective control measures for this problem
are currently available. Due to the severe damage caused by L. invasa to Eucalyptus plantations, it was required to
search for its natural enemies and two natural parasitoids were identified as Selitrichodes kryceri and
Quadrastichus mendeli in Australia before and the same insects were imported to Israel in 2006 for controlling the
eucalypts gall insect. Now these species were found in natural conditions and identified on gall infested Eucalyptus
species in plantations at central and southern part of Laos. This finding will provide some relief to the Eucalyptus
tree grower not only in Laos but also adjoining countries. However, the pest and their natural parasitoids study are
very much needed for maintaining healthy trees in the estate with robust growth. Many Eucalyptus spp. are
susceptible to L. invasa at field conditions and the affect is severe in juvenile phase of trees. Observed genetic
stocks in the germplasm have shown low to high susceptibility to L. invasa. This clearly indicates that the choice of
management currently is to monitor the populations of parasitoids. Therefore, the adequate knowledge of the pest
and parasitoid suitable for biological control is essential to the plantation estate.
INTRODUCTION
.
Birla Lao Pulp & Plantations Co., Ltd., Burapha Agroforestry Co., Ltd., Oji Lao Plantation Forest Co., Ltd., Stora
Enso Lao Co., Ltd. and Sun Paper holding Laos Co., Ltd along with private farmers are raising the Eucalyptus
plantation in Lao PDR, to produce the pulp, poles and wood for building material. The majority of these pulps are
to be a raw material for paper and viscose staple fiber industries. The main pulp producing planting material is
Eucalyptus spp. and these species have several threats during growth and development. Leptocybe invasa, a gall
producing insect is one among the major threat in recent times. It is reported to occur all over the world where ever
different species of Eucalyptus has been planted for production of new raw material for industries. Leptocybe insect
infestation is known to disturb the normal physiology of Eucalyptus tree and other functions in several ways. Such
an affect in turn reduce the yield, quality and consequently the profit from a plantation due to poor product. Further,
severe infestation by this insect is known to cause death of tree. This could be due to secondary infection by fungal
or bacterial pathogens. These opportunistic pathogens may gain entry through exit holes made by the insect pest
when adult fly emerge out from the swollen portion called gall. No effective control measures for this problem are
currently available. Because of severe damage caused by L. invasa to Eucalyptus plantations worldwide, a search
for its natural enemies was initiated in 2003 and finally two natural parasitoids were found in 2006. These species
were identified as Selitrichodes kryceri and Quadrastichus mendeli which were collected from young trees of E.
tereticornis growing in dry steam beds or on regenerating sites in several locations in Queensland, Australia (Kim
et al., 2008). Further, their rearing was initiated on L. invasa galls.
BREIEF METHODOLOGY ADOPTED TO RECORD THE PARASITOIDS AT LAOS PDR

2. The gall inducing insect was noticed on various Eucalyptus species and clones in Laos like in any other part of the
world from 2007 onwards. In order to monitor the commercial scale of their infestation frequent field visits carried
out and assessments were made based on visual observation. During one such visit on 9th March 2013 a tiny new
type of insect on gall infested tree in K7 (Hybrid clone of the parent E. deglupta x E. camaldulensis) clone was
observed. These observed insects were closely seen with the hand lens and were matched with field guide (field
guide prepared by Santoshagouda Patil, 2011 to make awareness of major pest & disease of eucalyptus in Lao PDR
for field staffs, internally) of parasitoid insects of L. inavasa species. Some of these insects were collected to take
close up pictures. Later their morphology was studied under microscopes by the author. These insects were
observed on gall infested Eucalyptus species in plantations at central and southern part of Laos (Santoshagouda
Patil, 2013).
Published Pictures of Parasitoids (Website ZOOTAXA and Kim et al 2008):
The wasps, named Quadrastichus mendeli and Selitrichodes kryceri, are natural predators of another wasp
producing galls on Eucalyptus plants. The produced galls are affecting the normal physiological functioning and
growth in Eucalyptus spp. Such predators from Australia were introduced in Israel as potential biological control
agents against L. invasa populations as these insect pests have threatened Eucalyptus industry worldwide in recent
past.
Fig. 1: Q. medeli Parasitoid pictures taken from website www.mapress.com/zootaxa
Fig. 2: The Q. mendeli & S. kryceri parasitoids pictures from Kim et. al., (2008).

3. Early pictures of Parasitoids observed in Eucalyptus plantations at Laos PDR:
Fig. 3: Pictures of first observed parasitoids on 09.03.2013 (due to non-availability of advanced
microscope with photomicrography these pictures were taken at a local studio) in Laos PDR.
An Australian entomologist visited the sites as a part of Australian Centre for International and Agricultural Research
(ACIAR) under Small Research Activity (SRA) project, to whom these observations were disclosed earlier but the
visit was made during 31.03.2013 to 07.04.2013, soon after the new record of these parasitoids in Laos.
Picture. 4: Author briefing to Dr Simon Lawson about observations
made on 04.04.13 in plantation where infestation was severe (Photo
made by colleague from Cannon Power shot D10).
Picture. 5: The pictures of field visit by entomologist comparing the
infestation in plantation with SK5 (E. camaldulensis x E. brassiana)
clone developed by Advanced Agro company, Thailand with K7 trees
(Photo taken by Santoshagouda Patil Cannon Power shot D10).
Picture 6: The leaf showing occurrence of both pest and
parasitoids in the field (Photo taken by Santoshagouda Patil ).
Fig 7: The adult wasps are looking for suitable space for laying the eggs
(Photo taken by Santoshagouda Patil with Cannon Power shot D10).

4. Fig 8: The captured single adult wasp of Leptocybe invasa
insect about to lay eggs (Photo taken by Santoshagouda Patil
Cannon Power shot D10).
Fig 9: The captured single putative adult of Quadristichus mendeli (Photo
taken by Santoshagouda Patil Cannon Power shot D10).
Fig 10: The captured single putative adult of Selitrichodes kryceri
(Photo taken by Santoshagouda Patil in Agriculture University
Dharwad, Microbiology Department, Karnataka State. India).
Fig 11: The captured single putative adult of Megastigmus spp. (The
collected samples at Laos photo taken by Santoshagouda Patil in
Agriculture University Dharwad, Karnataka State. India with ).
Fig 12. Collected parasitioides sample identified &
categorized species respective type confirmed through
simple microscopic observations (Sample collected by
Santoshagouda Patil).
Fig 13: The identification confirmed at Australia by Dr Simon
Lawson as a putative Quadristichus mendeli as per given
sample of Santoshagouda Patil on 05.04.2013
Brief Characters of Parasitoids:
Both species are small (about 1 mm in length), solitary and apparently ectoparasitic wasps. S. kryceri is biparental
while Q. mendeli is uniparental and develops on both young and mature larvae of L. invasa (Kim et al., 2008).
The collected part of the samples were sent to the University of the Sunshine Coast and Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry, Australia researchers (Simon et al., 2014) during the October 2013 project training visit to
Laos. The higher resolution of microscopic observation picture (Fig 10) is a putative type of Selitrichodes kryceri
(type 2 & 3 in Fig 2). This species was also previously released in Israel and India (but it was not established in India)
as a parasitoid against L. invasa.

5. The fig 11 is a putative type of Megastigmus spp. insect and was collected only few samples in Laos. This may
indicates that their population was low in Lao and the collected one sample made a microscopic observation in India.
Output of the observations:
1. The reported new insects are Q. mendeli and S. kryceri as per observation made under primitive microscope and
are similar in morphology to the published pictures by Kim et al., (2008). This finding will provide some relief to
the Eucalyptus tree grower not only in Laos but also adjoining countries. However, caution on the use of harmful
chemical applied to the Eucalyptus plantation to kill other pathogen or pest as these chemicals may also be harmful
for the observed parasitoids.
2. It is time to go one step ahead to understand the biology of parasitism for the future management and control of L.
invasa. Incomplete knowledge of parasitism and other operations in the plantations may result in reduction of the
parasitoids which may enhance the population of L. invasa.
3. Currently, the observed insects population load are not that bad and relatively good numbers were observed in
different locations on the infested Eucalyptus trees. The first observation made in central Lao and subsequently
observed in Southern and Northern part of Lao, indicate that the parasitoid population is well spread all over Lao
country and as this country is land locked in geography in South East Asia, it is quite possible to find these
parasitoids in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Similarly, its occurrence in other counties needs to be
investigated. This requires critical observation in the field with good hand lens and supported hand books.
4. The new record of theses insects clearly indicates that these parasitoid populations may not be restrict to a single
region. Therefore, further inventory is required to understand such insect distribution in other part of the world and
also description of them.
5. There is a need to educate local staff about this insect. Such, preliminary information to the local staff, nursery
manager & plantation mangers can help to study its occurrence and biology.
CONCLUSION
The pest and their natural parasitoids study are very much needed for maintaining healthy trees in the estate with
robust growth. Many Eucalyptus spp. are susceptible to L. invasa at field conditions and the affect is severe in
juvenile phase of trees. Observed genetic stocks in the germplasm have shown low to high susceptibility to L.
invasa. This clearly indicates that the choice of management currently is to monitor the populations of parasitoids.
Therefore, the adequate knowledge of the pest and parasitoid suitable for biological control is essential to the
plantation estate. The current findings under field conditions thus assume significance. However, there is a need to
give top priority to monitor parasitoid population to balance pests and predator populations in the estate for
optimizing yield potentials.
ACKNOWLDEGMENT
I gratefully acknowledge to Aditya Birla Group, India for rendering support to record the parasitoid during my
employment in Birla Lao Pulp and Plantation Company at Laos PDR and Dr Simon Lawson, of Agri-Science
Queensland, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Brisbane, Australia. Who has confirmed the
identification of gall parasitoid insect in high resolution microscope at Australia as a putative Q mendeli, and S. kryceri
as per given sample. I Also, aknowledge to Dr C.R. Patil, Associate Professor, Agriculture University Daharwad, India
for his kindeness to facility made available to use the high resoluation microscope to take the enclosed picture of S.
kryceri and Megastigma spp and he has taken a pain to correc the manuscript.
REFERENCES
Kim, I.K., Mendel, Z., Protasov, A., Blumberg, D., & JOHN La Salle, J. (2008) Taxonomy, biology and efficacy of two Australian
prasitoids of the Eucalyptus gall wasp, Leptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae).
Zootaxa 1910: 1-20.

6. Santoshagouda Patil (2011) Field Guide for Major Pests, Diseases and Parasites in Eucalyptus Plantations, Internal Guide
Booklet for field staff, 13p
Santoshagouda Patil (2013) Observations made at field some photo gallery for the suggestions: Internal Field Report 3: 1-4.
Simon Lawson (2013). Preliminary Report on Gall Wasp (Leptocybe invasa) and other Forest Health Issues in Laos PDR, ACIAR
First Visit Report to Laos, 17p.
Simon Lawson, Manon Griffiths and Helen Nahrung (2014). Laos Plantation Industry Small Research Activity (SRA) Towards
Biological Control of Major Eucalypt Pests in Lao PDR and the Mekong Delta Region, Final Report , 24p.
www.mapress.com/zootaxa