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<p>The invasive range of <i>Aulacaspis yasumatsui</i> has expanded in recent years, and the means by which most documented invasions have been enabled has not been determined. The export of infested <i>Cycas</i> nursery plants in the international horticulture trade remains the most probable method of new territorial invasions, but the potential of phoresy for invasion of new territories has not been studied. One Guam experiment and two Philippine experiments were conducted from 2023 to 2025 to determine if human apparel could transport <i>A. yasumatsui</i> phoronts from source plants to new host plants. Apparel worn during physical contact with infested <i>Cycas micronesica</i> trees along a 280&#xa0;m path in Guam successfully introduced phoronts to caged <i>C. micronesica</i> seedlings. Walking through four heavily infested <i>Cycas</i> plants within an <i>ex situ</i> germplasm garden in the Philippines enabled movement of phoronts on the apparel to caged <i>Cycas zambalensis</i> seedlings. Storage of the apparel after contact with the scale-infested trees for up to two days enabled successful <i>A. yasumatsui</i> infestations on caged <i>Cycas edentata</i> seedlings. Storage of the apparel for three days did not enable scale infestations on <i>C. edentata</i> seedlings. The results confirm that human apparel can transport <i>A. yasumatsui</i> phoronts to new host plants, and the phoronts may remain alive and capable of settling on new host tissue for up to two days on the apparel. Field biologists traveling from infested habitats to uninvaded habitats may be exploited by this lethal insect herbivore to expand the invasive range by way of phoresy.</p>

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Human travelers can be duped by armored scale phoronts to expand invasive range

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月13日

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  • Thomas E. Marler

摘要

The invasive range of Aulacaspis yasumatsui has expanded in recent years, and the means by which most documented invasions have been enabled has not been determined. The export of infested Cycas nursery plants in the international horticulture trade remains the most probable method of new territorial invasions, but the potential of phoresy for invasion of new territories has not been studied. One Guam experiment and two Philippine experiments were conducted from 2023 to 2025 to determine if human apparel could transport A. yasumatsui phoronts from source plants to new host plants. Apparel worn during physical contact with infested Cycas micronesica trees along a 280 m path in Guam successfully introduced phoronts to caged C. micronesica seedlings. Walking through four heavily infested Cycas plants within an ex situ germplasm garden in the Philippines enabled movement of phoronts on the apparel to caged Cycas zambalensis seedlings. Storage of the apparel after contact with the scale-infested trees for up to two days enabled successful A. yasumatsui infestations on caged Cycas edentata seedlings. Storage of the apparel for three days did not enable scale infestations on C. edentata seedlings. The results confirm that human apparel can transport A. yasumatsui phoronts to new host plants, and the phoronts may remain alive and capable of settling on new host tissue for up to two days on the apparel. Field biologists traveling from infested habitats to uninvaded habitats may be exploited by this lethal insect herbivore to expand the invasive range by way of phoresy.