New information on Platypus mutatus
As reported in EPPO RS 2004/061, Platypus mutatus (Coleoptera: Platypodidae – EPPO Alert List) was found for the first time in Italy in a poplar plantation (Populus canadensis) near Caserta (Campania), in 2000. In the following years, severe infestations were noticed again in the province of Caserta in the communes of Teano, Riardo and Vairano, mainly on hazelnut (Corylus avellana), but also on cherry (Prunus cerasus), pear (Pyrus communis) and apple (Malus domestica). These observations show that P. mutatus presents a risk not only to Populus plantations but also to fruit trees. In their paper, Carella and Spigno (2002) give a wider list of countries in South America where the pest has been reported: Argentina, Bolivia*, Brazil, French Guiana*, Paraguay*, Peru*, Uruguay, Venezuela*.
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* New records when compared with the data previously collected by the EPPO Secretariat.
Sources
Carella, D.; Spigno, P. (2002) Lo xilofago Platypus mutatus (Coleoptera : Platypodidae) dal pioppo passa ai fruttiferi.
Bollettino del Laboratorio di Entomologia Agraria, Filippo Silvestri, 58, 139-141.