New data on quarantine pests and pests of the EPPO Alert List
By searching through the literature, the EPPO Secretariat has extracted the following new data concerning quarantine pests and pests included (or formerly included) on the EPPO Alert List, and indicated in bold the situation of the pest concerned using the terms of ISPM no. 8.
- New records
In Greece, Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae – EPPO A2 List) was reported for the first time in July 2016 near Alepou on the island of Corfu (Kypriotis et al., 2017). Present, no details.
In Greece, during studies on Dryocosmus kuriphilus, Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi (=G. castaneae) has also been detected. This the first time that this fungus is reported from Greece (Memtsas et al., 2017). Present, no details.
The NPPO of Cyprus recently reported the presence of Chrysolina americana (Chrysomelidae) on its territory. In March 2018, the insect was found in a botanical garden in Athalassa (Nicosia district) on rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) plants (NPPO of Cyprus, 2018).
The official pest status of Chrysolina americana in Cyprus is officially declared as: Transient, actionable, under surveillance.
- Detailed records
Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae – EPPO A2 List) also occurs in the areas of the island of Cyprus that are not under the effective control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus (i.e. Northern part of Cyprus). The pest was first found in September 2016 on apricot (Prunus armeniaca) in Morfou. During 2016/2017, the pest was caught in vinegar traps which had been placed in various fruit tree orchards in Lefke and Morfou, (Özbeck Çatal et al., 2018).
In Spain, Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae – EPPO A2 List) was first reported in 2012 in Cataluña (EPPO RS 2014/067), and then in Cantabria and Galicia. In 2018,
D. kuriphilus was found for the first time in Castilla y León, in the Valle del Tiétar (province of Ávila). It is also noted that in Galicia, biological control with Torymus sinensis has been intensified with the release of 790 000 individuals in 2018 (133 000 in 2017, 65 000 in 2016, 1 500 in 2015) (Anonymous, 2018).
In Crete (Greece), Zaprionus tuberculatus (Diptera: Drosophilidae – EPPO Alert List) was recorded for the first time in 2008. The insect was found again during summer 2014 in mature figs (Leivadaras et al., 2017). Present, no details.
- Host plants
In Northern Italy, Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) has increasingly been observed in the rice-growing areas of the Po valley. From August to October 2016, visual observations were made in paddy rice (Oryza sativa) fields in Lombardia region. H. halys was observed on rice panicles in Linarolo and Zeme (both in Pavia province) in September and October 2016, respectively. Probing activity of the insect on rice grain, provides evidence that H. halys is attracted to rice for feeding. These observations and the fact that H. halys continues to spread within rice-growing areas suggest that rice might act as a host plant. However, more studies are needed to determine the nature and extent of feeding damage that H. halys could inflict on rice (Lupi et al., 2017).
In Spain, Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) was first found in autumn 2016 in Cataluña (EPPO RS 2017/093). In 2017, numerous specimens were caught in Cataluña (Anonymous, 2018).
- New pests and taxonomy
A new root-lesion nematode associated with maize (Zea mays) has recently been described in Rwanda and called Pratylenchus rwandae s.sp. (Singh et al.).
Sources
Anonymous (2018) Halyomorpha halys, una nueva plaga que afecta los cultivos en Cataluña. Phytoma-España no. 299, p 4.
Anonymous (2018) La avispilla del castaño llega al Valle del Tiétar. Phytoma-España no. 300, p 14.
Kypriotis A, Katerinis S, Andreadis SS, Navrozidis E (2017) Presence, description and developmental characteristics of the newly emerging quarantine pest Aleurocanthus spiniferus in Corfu. Abstract of a poster presented at the Panhellenic Entomological Congress (Athens, GR, 2017-09-19/22), p 74.
Leivadaras J, Leivadara EI, Vontas J (2017) A new insect, drosophila Zaprionus tuberculatus (Diptera: Drosophilidae), affects the figs on Crete. Abstract of a paper presented at the Panhellenic Entomological Congress (Athens, GR, 2017-09-19/22), p 27.
Lupi D, Dioli P, Limonta L (2017) First evidence of Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera Heteroptera, Pentatomidae) feeding on rice (Oryza sativa L.). Journal of Entomological and Acarological Research 49(1), 67-71. https://www.pagepressjournals.org/index.php/jear/article/view/6679/6491
Memtsas GI, Melika G, Tziros GT, Petsopoulos D, Avtzis DN (2017) Dryocosmus kuriphilus in Greece - Identification of native natural enemies and Gnomoniopsis castanea. Abstract of a paper presented at the Panhellenic Entomological Congress (Athens, GR, 2017-09-19/22), p 30.
NPPO of Cyprus (2018-05).
Özbeck Çatal B, Helvaci M, Çalişkan Keçe AF, Ulusoy MR (2018) First record of Drosophila suzukii in the areas of the Republic of Cyprus not under the effective control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus. Bulletin OEPP/EPPO Bulletin 48(2), 274-276.
Singh, PR, Nyiragatare A, Janssen T, Couvreur M, Decraemer W, Bert W (2018) Morphological and molecular characterisation of Pratylenchus rwandae n. sp. (Tylenchida: Pratylenchidae) associated with maize in Rwanda. Nematology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685411-00003175 (via PestLens).