First report of Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus in Spain
Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, rice water weevil – formerly EPPO Alert List) is first reported from Spain. In August 2018, weevil samples were collected from rice crops in the towns of L’Ampolla, Amposta and Sant Carles de la Ràpita during entomological field studies in the Ebro Delta in Catalonia (Northeastern Spain). In addition, the presence of L. oryzophilus was confirmed by DNA metabarcoding from bat faecal samples collected from the Pipistrellus pygmaeus bat roost in the Ebro Delta. The authors underline the potential of insectivorous bats as natural samplers to allow detection of (and possibly control) pest species in crops.
Sources
Montauban C, Mas M, Wangensteen OS, Sarto i Monteys V, Fornós DG, Mola XF, López-Baucells A (2021) Bats as natural samplers: First record of the invasive pest rice water weevil Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus in the Iberian Peninsula. Crop Protection 141, 105427.