More details about the situation of Macrohomotoma gladiata in Algeria and first report in France
As reported in the EPPO RS 2016/010, the presence of Macrohomotoma gladiata (Hemiptera: Homotomidae) has recently been detected in Algeria. This Asian psyllid was first found in spring 2015 on urban ficus trees planted in the University campus of Mostaganem. Intially found on 3 trees, infestation rapidly spread to all Ficus trees (approximately 30 trees) of the University campus. At the end of summer 2015, colonies of M. gladiata were observed on the majority of ficus trees planted along the streets and squares of the city of Mostaganem. In November 2015, the pest was also found in the city of Oran.
In addition to Algeria, the presence of M. gladiata has very recently been detected in France. In November 2015, P. gladiata was discovered in the city of Nice on an ornamental Ficus microcarpa planted outdoors. As this species is showing invasive behaviour, its further spread around the Mediterranean Basin is expected to occur.
Sources
Anonymous (2016) Psylle sur Ficus: la France aussi. Phytoma no. 691, p 5.
Guenaoui Y, Ouvrard Y (2016) Une nouvelle espèce de psylle découverte sur Ficus en Algérie. Phytoma no. 691, 7-9.