Dr Ian Naumann1

1CSIRO, Canberra, Australia

Biography:

1977 – 2000: Research taxonomist in Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Black Mountain, Canberra, specialising in taxonomy and biology of Australian Hymenoptera.

Chief Editor of textbook, The Insects of Australia.

2000-2022: Director, Technical Capacity Building, Plant Biosecurity, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra.

2023-present: Honorary Research Fellow, CSIRO, Canberra.

Have held various roles in Australian Entomological Society: President, Public Officer, Taxonomic Editor; currently Chief Operating Officer and Board Member.

Abstract:

Anastatus Motschulsky is a near-cosmopolitan, highly speciose genus of parasitoid, micro-wasp; species attack the eggs of plant-sucking bugs, mantids, stick insects and moths, and the egg-like cocoons of small lacewings, flies and beetles. Northern Hemisphere species are potential biological control agents for invasive species, such as the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and the spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (White) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae). An Australian Anastatus is available commercially for release as part of IPM in Macadamia orchards. Thirty-five species of Anastatus have been described from Australia, principally by the eccentric A.A. Girault between 1913 and 1939. However, no Girault names can be applied with any confidence because of the perfunctory, unillustrated nature of his descriptions and the tragic condition of most of his type of material. A key to the approximately 70 species now known to occur in Australia is in preparation, with a view to unravelling host associations and exploring biological control options for H. halys. Females of 34 Australian species are flightless and most of these have limited geographical distributions in humid forests in the north and east of the continent.