The potential global distribution of Tamarixia radiata based on climate change
Tamarixia radiata (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is an ectoparasitoid biological control agent that has been used extensively throughout the world to supress field populations of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae - EPPO A1 List, a vector of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’). Studies have shown that temperature and relative humidity influence variation in the performance of T. radiata against D. citri where the most favourable temperature for optimum parasitism range from 25-30oC and the optimum temperature for T. radiata growth is 25oC. Using 317 native and non-native global occurrence records, the potential global distribution was modelled based on two climate change projections (SSPs 4.5: moderate estimate of climate warming and SSPs 8.5 high estimate of climate warming) and two time periods (2030 and 2050). The model estimates that habitat suitability for T. radiata occurs in all continents except Antarctica. Over the two time periods (2030 and 2050), T. radiata is projected to expand its known distribution into new climatic regions mainly due to an increase in those regions in the mean temperature of the coldest quarter.
Sources
Aidoo OF, Souza PGC, Silva RS, Júnior PAS, Picanço MC, Heve WK, Duker RQ, Ablormeti FK, Sétamou M, Borgemeister C (2023) Modeling climate change impacts on potential global distribution of Tamarixia radiata Waterston (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). Science of the Total Environment 864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160962