Origin and Potential Expansion of the Invasive Longan Lanternfly, Pyrops candelaria (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) in Taiwan

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The longan lanternfly Pyrops candelaria (Linnaeus), which feeds on longan trees, has invaded the main island of Taiwan. Thus, this study aimed to (1) trace the origin of invasion, (2) predict habitat suitability and (3) study the risk of lanternfly spread into crop cultivation areas. We reconstructed the longan lanternfly phylogeny to compare haplotypes among different regions. In addition, we predicted the habitat suitability for the species based on MaxEnt and then matched it with longan and pomelo cultivation areas. Our results indicated that the Taiwanese populations of longan lanternfly might originate from the Kinmen Islands and the plain areas of Taiwan are considered to have high habitat suitability. ABSTRACT: The longan lanternfly Pyrops candelaria is a new invasive species on the main island of Taiwan. The introduction of an invasive species may negatively influence the native fauna, flora and environment. Thus, this study aimed to infer the invasion history, predict habitat suitability and potential expansion and assess the risk to crop cultivation areas in Taiwan. Genetic structures of P. candelaria from the main island of Taiwan and related regions were analyzed based on partial COI and ND2 sequences. Additionally, machine learning MaxEnt was utilized to study habitat suitability. The results suggested that the Taiwanese populations may originate from the Kinmen Islands and the plain areas of Taiwan are considered to have high habitat suitability. Furthermore, most of the cultivation areas of longan and pomelo crops showed high habitat suitability.