New County and State Records for Tennessee of an Exotic Pest,<i>Halyomorpha halys</i>(Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), with Potential Economic and Ecological Implications

Abstract

Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), the brown marmorated stinkbug, is an exotic polyphagous species from Asia that was first collected in North America from Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1996 (Hamilton & Shearer 2003). In 2002, H. halys was reported from 6 counties in Pennsylvania (Hoebeke 2002), and by 2003, the species was reported from 2 neighboring counties in New Jersey (Bernon et al. 2004). In 2005, this species was reported from Vallejo, Solano County, California, with over a dozen individuals recovered from a storage unit rented by a new resident that had relocated from Pennsylvania. Within 10 years from the original record from Allentown, Pennsylvania, H. halys had been reported from 26 counties in Pennsylvania (Jacobs & Bernhard 2008). This pest continues to increase its range and has since been reported around Portland and Salem, Oregon (CDFA 2005), as well as in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia (Khrimian et al. 2008). On 30 Oct. 2008, a single adult female was captured in the home of the first author in Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee. The specimen, approximately 16.2 mm in length, displayed the characteristic light bands on the terminal 2 antennal segments, as well as alternating light and dark banding along the exposed lateral abdominal margins (Fig. 1). Closer examination also revealed the absence of teeth on the juga, as well as a smooth anterior pronotal margin, both of which distinguish this species