Blastopsylla occidentalis: a new eucalyptus psyllid found in Italy
The NPPO of Italy informed the EPPO Secretariat that a new eucalyptus psyllid has been found in Campania (IT). The pest was identified as Blastopsylla occidentalis (Homoptera: Psyllidae). It was found in a public park in the city of Napoli. This is the first report of this species in Europe. Little information is available from the literature on its biology and damage it can cause to eucalyptus. Apparently, it is not as damaging as Glycapsis brimblecombei (formerly on EPPO Alert List – pest absent from Europe). Similarly, B. occidentalis originates from Australia and has recently been introduced into other parts of the world. According to data available, its current distribution is the following:
EPPO region: Italy (Campania).
North America: Mexico, USA (California, Florida, Hawaii).
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile.
Oceania: Australia, New Zealand (introduced).
Sources
NPPO of Italy, 2006-09.
Bouvet JPR, Harrand L, Bukrckhardt D (2005) [First record of Blastopsylla occidentalis and Glycapspis brimblecombei (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) from Argentina.]. Revista de la Sociedad Entomologica Argentina 64(1-2), 99-102.
Burckhardt D, Elgueta M (2000) Blastopsylla occidentalis Taylor (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), a new introduced eucalypt pest in Chile. Revista Chilena de Entomologia 26, 57-61 (abst.).
Eldredge L, Evenhuis NL (2003) Hawaii’s biodiversity: a detailed assessment of the numbers of species in the Hawaiian Islands. Bishop Museum occasional papers, Honolulu (US), no. 76, 28 pp.
de Queiroz Santana DL (2005) Introduced Eucalyptus psyllids in Brazil. XXII IUFRO World Congress. The International Forestry Review 7(5), p 255 (abst.)
University of Florida. Featured Creatures: Blastopsylla occidentalis and Glycapsis brimblecombei by S. Halbert, 2003. http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/eucalyptus_psyllids.htm