Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer (ACPPO), Dr Gabrille Vivian-Smith, will chair a webinar on systematic applications for 21st-century biosecurity solutions. Presenters will discuss current research on the highly invasive brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys).
Presenters:
About BMSB
BMSB is one of the world’s most invasive pests. Despite its notoriety, the taxonomy of this species remains complex due to misidentifications in historical collections and literature, lack of diagnostic protocols (including challenges in distinguishing females from similar species), lost types, specimen rarity, and a shortage of stink bug specialists.
Research overview
Professor Cassis leads a team from Brazil, Czechia, India, Spain, and the USA to clarify taxon boundaries and relationships within the core Halyomorpha complex and related taxa in the stink bug tribe Cappaeini. Using a combination of morphological, phylogenomic, integrated taxonomy, and micro-CT methods, the team aims to enhance rapid diagnostics through:
This work includes locating and studying type material, paired with detailed documentation of host plants and distribution data to help prevent future BMSB incursions in Australia. The team will also address challenges in identifying other high-risk stink bug species intercepted by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, or emerging as invasive species worldwide.
Examples include species of the genera Euschistus and Diceraeus, which are becoming pests of soybeans in North and South America. The presentation will conclude by demonstrating how their systematic framework links research to frontline diagnostics, addressing gaps in species identification and providing a hierarchy for fast-tracked biosecurity solutions.
About the speakers
Professor Gerry Cassis (University of New South Wales)
Professor Cassis is a systematic entomologist with over 40 years of research experience. He received his PhD in true bug systematics from Oregon State University in 1984 and worked at the CSIRO Division of Entomology. Professor Cassis has published over 200 works on the hemipteran suborder Heteroptera and is a recipient of a Churchill Fellowship and a Eureka Prize finalist.
Dr Marcos Roca-Cusachs (University of New South Wales)
Dr Roca-Cusachs is a postdoctoral researcher studying BMSB taxonomy and systematics. He completed his PhD in systematic entomology at Chungnam National University in South Korea in 2020 and has published over 70 research articles. His work primarily focuses on the systematics and biogeography of Pentatomidae.
Associate Professor Cristiano Schwertner (Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil)
Associate Professor Schwertner specialises in the diversity and evolutionary history of true bugs, focusing on stink bugs and related species. He has over 18 years of post-PhD research experience and teaches invertebrate zoology, entomology, and biological systematics.