Association of a Global Invasive Pest (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) with Local Parasitoids: Prospects for a New Approach in Selecting Biological Control Agents.

is a worldwide invasive pest that has caused significant economic damage. According to the classical biological control approach, natural enemies that can control invasive pests come from the same area of origin as the pests that have experienced coadaptation processes. However, the new association's approach suggests that local natural enemies are equally capable of controlling invasive pests. Due to the lack of data on the association of and local natural enemies, research was conducted through a rapid survey to study the diversity of parasitoids associated with . The results showed 15 parasitoid species associated with . Four egg parasitoids, eight larval parasitoids, and three larval-pupal parasitoids were found to be associated with for three years after it was first discovered in Indonesia. Eleven of them are new reports of parasitoids associated with in Indonesia. A new association was found between and twelve parasitoid species, consisting of three egg parasitoids (Platygasteridaesp.01, Platygasteridaesp.02, and ), six larval parasitoids ( sp., sp., sp., sp., sp., and sp.), and three larval-pupal parasitoids (, , and sp.). remus is the most dominant parasitoid, with a higher abundance and parasitism rate. The result suggests another method for selecting biological control using the new association approach since local natural enemies can foster quick adaptation to invasive pests.