ABSTRACT
Megacopta cribraria originally was described as Cimex cribrarius by Fabricius based on specimens collected in India. Megacopta cribraria occurs throughout much of Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It has been reported from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Korea, Macao, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Increased globalization since the 1980s has stimulated worldwide economic growth, but the associated global trade also has provided increased opportunities for accidental introductions of exotic species that become pests in their expanded ranges. Heteroptera are most commonly parasitized by hymenopterous egg parasitoids and flies of the family Tachinidae, although the latter have not been reported from Megacopta cribraria in the Old World. Megacopta species are phloem feeders, which is a carbohydrate-rich, but amino acid and vitamin-poor, food. Megacopta cribraria is a classic seasonal much like Halyomorpha halys and Harmonia axyridis. There are several insecticides that are effective against Megacopta cribraria, but they are not equal in initial knockdown or in residual efficacy.
