samurai wasp – Trissolcus japonicus
The parasitoid samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus) is a natural enemy of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). Taxonomic work in the years after the H. halys invasion in North America identified T. japonicus in Asia as a promising candidate for biological control against the stink bug. As Trissolcus was an understudied genus, taxonomic experts within the entomological community worked quickly to deepen the discipline’s understanding of Trissolcus to prepare for potential deployment of biological control efforts in the United States. (Image originally published in Buffington et al 2018, American Entomologist)