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
Ips typographus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae - EU Annexes) is first reported from Armenia (Karagyan et al., 2024). Present.
Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae – EPPO A2 List) is first reported from South Korea. It was detected in April 2024 in Jeonbuk Province. Further surveys showed that it was also present in Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, Chungcheong Province, and Jeonnam Province where it caused damage to commercial tomatoes, particularly in organic farms (Lee et al., 2024). Present.
- Detailed records
In Mexico, Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae, EPPO A1 List) is reported as a pest in commercial apple orchards (Malus domestica) in Nuevo León and Hidalgo (Aluja et al., 2024).
In October 2024, Leptoglossus occidentalis (Heteroptera: Coreidae) was observed for the first time in the Azores (PT). An adult specimen was found near Igreja do Capelo in the western part of Faial Island (van der Heyden, 2024).
In China, Psacothea hilaris (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) was reported from ‘Southern China’. A recent article reports that it is present in the following Chinese provinces: Anhui, Chongqing, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang (Zhang et al., 2024).
Xylella fastidiosa subsp. sandyi is first recorded from Hawaii (USA). In December 2022, it was detected in oleander (Nerium oleander) plants showing stunting and wilt in Kula (Lutgen et al., 2024).
- Eradication
In Croatia Thrips setosus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) was found in one Hydrangea potted plant in 2017 in a garden centre located in the municipality of Metkovic (EPPO RS 2018/094). This outbreak was eradicated.
- Host plants
In the EPPO RS 2024/227 it was noted that tobacco ringspot virus (Nepovirus nicotianae, TRSV - EPPO A2 List) had been detected in a number of new host plants. The list provided in this note was incorrect and should be as follows: Coleus sp., Pelargonium zonale, Salvia rosmarinus.
- New pests and taxonomy
During field surveys conducted since 2021 in Sicilia (Italy), infestations of wood-boring insects associated with symptoms of stem blight and internal necrosis have been observed in bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) trees in urban environments (parks, gardens, city streets), as well as in nurseries. Investigations revealed the presence of the ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus compactus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae – formerly EPPO Alert List), and of a new fungal species, Thyridium lauri sp. nov. Inoculation tests fulfilling Koch’s postulates confirmed that T. lauri is pathogenic to L. nobilis. Further studies are needed to understand the interactions between this new fungal species and X. compactus (Leonardi et al., 2024).
Sources
Aluja M, Acosta E, Enciso-Ortiz E, Ortega-Casas R, Altúzar-Molina A, Camacho-Vázquez C, Monribot-Villanueva JL, Guerrero-Analco JA, Pascacio-Villafán C, Guillén L (2024) Expansion to new habitats and a new commercial host (Malus domestica) by Anastrepha ludens (Tephritidae) likely influenced by global warming. Scientific Reports 14(1), 27729. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-78727-2
Karagyan G, Kalashian M, Ghrejyan T, Mazmanyan M, Petrov А (2024) Annotated checklist of Armenian Platypodinae and Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Zootaxa 5514(1), 41-65.
Leonardi GR, Aiello D, Di Pietro C, Gugliuzzo A, Tropea Garzia G, Polizzi G, Voglmayr H (2024) Thyridium lauri sp. nov. (Thyridiaceae, Thyridiales): a new pathogenic fungal species of bay laurel from Italy. MycoKeys 110, 211–236. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.110.129228
Lee MH, Jeong D, Lee GS, Paik C (2024) First report of Phthorimaea absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Korea. Journal of Integrated Pest Management 15(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmae028
Lutgen H, Vowell T, Marquez J, Ho J, Matsunaga J, Melzer M (2024) First report of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. sandyi infecting oleander (Nerium oleander) in Hawaii, USA. New Disease Reports 50(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/ndr2.12308
NPPO of Croatia (2024-10).
van der Heyden T (2024) First record of Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, 1910 (Heteroptera: Coreidae) from the Azores (Portugal). Arquivos Entomolóxicos 30, 249-250.
Zhang L, Wang P, Xie G, Wang W (2024) Using ecological niches to determine potential habitat suitability for Psacothea hilaris (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and its natural enemies in China under future climates. Journal of Economic Entomology, toae203.