About Istocheta aldrichi (Mesnil, 1953)
Istocheta aldrichi is a species of fly belonging to the family Tachinidae. It is originally native to Japan, and was introduced to North America in 1922 to serve as a biological control agent against the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica. The species is now established in northeastern North America, including parts of Canada and the United States. After hatching from an egg laid on a host beetle's pronotum, Istocheta aldrichi larvae pupate inside the body of the host beetle. Both historical catalogues of this species' host range and recently collected crowdsourced data indicate that this fly is highly host-specific to the Japanese beetle, and likely does not attack any other beetle species. The confirmed distribution of Istocheta aldrichi includes Canada, the United States, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Russia, and Taiwan.
