Invasive Insect Species

Priority Invasive insect species listed by Washington Invasive Species Council

The mild climate in the Pacific Northwest (i.e., warm but not hot, cool but not cold, with lots of moisture) has provided suitable conditions for many invasive species, where intense human activity in the coastal areas (e.g., Seattle, Portland) have facilitated their arrival, resulting in ever-increasing establishments of invasive species every year in this area, and great economic loss. Developing approaches to successfully detect, predict, and mitigate invasive species is a necessary step to advance effective management as early detection and rapid response practices are the most cost-effective and efficient method.

Ecological niche model habitat suitability prediction is an important component in invasive species risk assessment. These predictions not only contribute to our understanding of potential distribution and dispersal, but also are very useful in planning field surveys for earlier detection and eradication programs. Here are the potential distributions of invasive insects species that were listed by Washington Invasive Species Council. They were either published or firstly displayed here, please cite my paper/website for using these habitat suitability predictions.

Emerald Ash Borer: Agrilus planipennis

Japanese Beetle: Popillia japonica

Northern Giant Hornet: Vespa mandarinia

Spotted Lanternfly: Lycorma delicatula

European Chafer: Amphimallon majale

Onion Leaf Miner: Phytomyza gymnostoma

Scarlet Lily Beetle: Lilioceris lilii

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug: Halyomorpha halys

Apple Maggot: Rhagoletis pomonella

Sirex Woodwasp: Sirex noctilio

Spongy Moth: Lymantria dispar

Spotted Wing Drosophila: Drosophila suzukii

Citrus Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora chinensis), Asian Longhorned Beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), and Red-necked Longhorned Beetle (Aromia bungii)

Below are invasive insect species that I’ve modeled but not were listed by the council.

Mediterranean Oak Borer: Xyleborus monographus

Small hive beetle: Aethina tumida

Yellow spotted stink bug: Erthesina fullo