First report of Aleurocanthus camelliae in Croatia
The camellia spiny whitefly, Aleurocanthus camelliae (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), was first reported in the EPPO region in Italy, in the Pistoia province (Toscana) in September 2020 (EPPO RS 2022/125) on Camellia sasanqua plants grown in eight plant nurseries.
In 2022 during phytosanitary inspections for regulated Aleurocanthus species in plant nurseries and garden centres in Croatia, dark whitefly larvae were observed on the lower surfaces of leaves of camellia plants. The specimens were identified as Aleurocanthus camelliae on the basis of morphological characters. Infested potted camelias (Camellia japonica and C. sasanqua) were found in seven nurseries and garden centres in five counties, outdoors and in greenhouses. All infested seedlings had been imported from Italy. Infested plants did not show any significant damage as the whitefly infestation of camellia plants was generally sparse. No adults A. camelliae were observed. Since A. camelliae is a not a regulated pest, no specific phytosanitary measures were undertaken by importers of consignments of the infested plants.
Pictures were kindly provided by Dr Maja Pintar and are available in EPPO Global Database.
Sources
Šimala M, Pintar M, Markotić V (2023) Aleurocanthus camelliae Kanmiya & Kasai, 2011 (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), a newly intercepted whitefly species in Croatia. Natura Croatica 32(2), 431-437. DOI: 10.20302/NC2023.32.28. https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/446375