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EPPO Reporting Service no. 09 - 2022 Num. article: 2022/181

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 8.


  • New records

In Canada, Anisandrus maiche (Coleoptera: Scolytinae, regulated by the EU as ‘non-European Scolytinae’) is reported for the first time. The insect was trapped in July 2013 in Ontario (Middlesex county) and in 2018 in Quebec (Longueuil) during surveillance activities carried out by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) (Thurston et al., 2022).


In Japan Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae – EPPO A2 List) was recorded for the first time as established in the Hyogo Prefecture (Honshu) in summer 2020 (Akita et al., 2021).


In Bangladesh, citrus tristeza virus (Closterovirus, CTV – EPPO A2 List) was detected from Citrus medica in March 2019 in Jamalpur (Akhter et al., 2022). 


Grapevine red globe virus (Maculavirus, GRGV) is reported for the first time from the United Kingdom. It was sequenced from symptomatic grapevine leaves (Vitis vinifera) collected in August 2019 in a vineyard in the south of England (Dixon et al., 2022).


Grapevine red globe virus (Maculavirus, GRGV) is reported for the first time from Portugal. It was detected by HTS from grapevine plants showing poor and stunted growth. Other viruses were also detected in mixed infections (Candresse et al., 2022).


In Poland, Metcalfa pruinosa (Hemiptera: Flatidae) was found for the first time in 2020 and confirmed in August 2021 in the city of Warsaw (Świerczewski et al., 2022).


In Mexico, the occurrence of Neodiprion abietis (formerly EPPO Alert List) had been suspected in 1995 but this could not be confirmed by surveillance activities. However, in May 2016, N. abietis was detected on Abies concolor trees in the municipality of Madera (Chihuahua state). The insect population is still limited, but predictive models have shown that the climatic suitability for N. abietis was high in the Sierra Madre Occidental (Madera is surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains, and this mountain range stretches over 1250 km) where its hosts, Pinus ponderosa, P. strobiformis, and P. menziesii are distributed (González-Gaona et al., 2021).


In Argentina, during surveys on Phytophthora species occurring in forest soils in Patagonia, 23 species have been detected, including P. kernoviae, P. lateralis and P. ramorum (all EPPO A2 List). This is the first time that these three EPPO listed species are reported from Argentina (Vélez et al., 2020).


  • Detailed records

In the USA, apple fruit crinkle viroid (AFCVd, EU Annexes) had already been detected in asymptomatic Oriental persimmons (Diospyros kaki) in Georgia. A survey showed that in Florida, AFCVd occurs in D. kaki, as well as in the native Diospyros virginiana. This is the first record of AFCVd on D. virginiana (Velez-Climent et al., 2022). 


In Argentina, Diaphorina citri (vector of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ - Hemiptera: Liviidae, EPPO A1 List) was detected in the provinces of Tucumán and Catamarca in March and September 2022 respectively. Official measures are applied to control the pest (Senasa, 2022). 


Lycorma delicatula (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae – EPPO A1 List) is now established in Massachusetts (US). A dead specimen was first found near Boston in 2018, but during summer and autumn 2020 live specimens were found in several parts of the state. As of August 2022, L. delicatula has been found in several counties (Berkshire, Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester), and established populations are recorded in Fitchburg, Shrewsbury and Springfield towns/cities. Citizens are encouraged to report any sightings of the pest (Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 2022).

L. delicatula is also considered established in several counties in New York State. The pest was first observed on Staten Island in August 2020, and since then populations have been reported in all New York City boroughs, Long Island, Port Jervis, Sloatsburg, Orangeburg, Ithaca, Binghamton, Middletown, Newburgh, Highland, and in September 2022 in the Buffalo area (New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, 2022).


In Mexico, Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – EPPO A2 List) was first reported in blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) fields in Michoacan state. Murillo-Hernández et al. (2022) detected its presence in several locations in the neighbouring state of Colima during surveys in March-April 2021. This thrips species causes economic damage in orchards of Mexican lime (Citrus aurantiifolia). 


In the USA, citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas citri pv. citri (EPPO A1 List) was found in Georgia (USA). The bacterium was detected in a commercial citrus grove in Decatur county. The identity of the pathogen was confirmed in June 2022. Surveys will be conducted to determine the extent of the disease (Georgia Department of Agriculture, 2022).


Sources

Akhter M, Monirul Hasan Tipu M, Rahman M, Islam R, Faruk M, Nakahara KS (2022) First report of Citrus tristeza virus in Bangladesh. Australasian Plant Disease Notes 17(12). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13314-022-00457-z

Akita K, Katô T, Yanagi T, Kubota K (2021) Reports of the alien species Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky, 1853) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) found in Hyogo pref, Japan. Gekkan-Mushi 601, 41–45 (in Japanese).

Candresse T, Faure C, Marais A (2022) First report of grapevine red globe virus (GRGV) and grapevine rupestris vein feathering virus (GRVFV) infecting grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) in Portugal. Plant Disease (early view) https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-06-22-1326-PDN

Dixon M, Fowkes A, Hogan C, Adams I, McGreig S, Pufal H, ward R., Harju V, Skelton A, Fox A (2022) First report of Grapevine red globe virus in grapevine in the United Kingdom. New Disease Reports 46, e12118. https://doi.org/10.1002/ndr2.12118.

Georgia Department of Agriculture, Press release (2022-06-14) Citrus Canker detected in Georgia. https://agr.georgia.gov/citrus-canker-detected-in-georgia.aspx

González-Gaona E, Gómez-Nísino A, De Lira-Ramos KV, Rodríguez-Cruz YE, Olivo-Martínez JA, Rascón-Mendoza AA, Sánchez-Martínez G (2021) Primer registro documentado de Neodiprion abietis (Harris, 1841) (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) para México. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Forestales 12, e21. https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v12i64.837

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. 

Murillo-Hernández JE, Illescas-Riquelme CP, López-Lima D, Manzanilla-Ramírez MÁ (2022) Incidencia y daños de Scirtothrips dorsalis en plantaciones de limón mexicano en Colima, México. Southwestern Entomologist 47(1), 211-214.

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (2022-09-09). Spotted Lanternfly Population Found in the Buffalo Area - Public Asked to Report Sightings to the Department https://agriculture.ny.gov/news/state-agriculture-department-asks-residents-be-lookout-spotted-lanternfly-western-new-york

Senasa (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria - Argentina)

Świerczewski D, Woźnica AJ, Smulski T, Stroiński A (2022) First report of the Nearctic planthopper Metcalfa pruinosa (Say, 1830) in Poland, its current status and potential threats (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Flatidae). Journal of Plant Protection Research 62(3), 238-246. https://doi.org/10.24425/jppr.2022.142130

Thurston GS, Slater A, Nei I, Roberts J, McLachlan Hamilton K, Sweeney JD, Kimoto T (2022) New Canadian and provincial records of Coleoptera resulting from annual Canadian Food Inspection Agency surveillance for detection of non-native, potentially invasive forest insects. Insects 13, 708. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13080708

Vélez ML, La Manna L, Tarabini M, Gomez F, Elliott M, Hedley PE, Cock P, Greslebin A (2020) Phytophthora austrocedri in Argentina and co-inhabiting Phytophthoras: roles of anthropogenic and abiotic factors in species distribution and diversity. Forests 11(11), 1223. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11111223

Velez-Climent M, Soria P, Dey KK, Mou DF, McVay J, Bahder B (2022) Detection and characterization of viruses and viroids in Diospyros species from Florida, USA. Plant Health Progress (early view). https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-12-21-0144-RS