Chrysomphalus aonidum is reported from Calabria, Italy
The NPPO of Italy recently informed the EPPO Secretariat that Chrysomphalus aonidum (Hemiptera: Diaspididae – Florida red scale) has been found in Calabria region. In July 2009, the Regional PPO of Calabria detected C. aonidum in the municipality of Bianco, Province of Reggio Calabria. The pest was observed on leaves and fruits of citrus plants (Citrus limon, C. reticulata, Fortunella japonica) in private urban areas. Surveys are being implemented in the surrounding areas to determine the extent of the infestation. An eradication programme is currently being developed by the Regional PPO of Calabria.
The pest status of Chrysomphalus aonidum in Italy is officially declared as: Present, one isolated outbreak.
Note: C. aonidum is considered to originate from Asia but it has become widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a highly polyphagous pest (feeds on more than 270 species from 69 plant families) but the most significant damage is observed on citrus. In the EPPO region, C. aonidum has been recorded around the Mediterranean Basin on citrus in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain (Islas Canarias only), Greece, and Turkey. In other European countries (e.g. France, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland), it is occasionally reported on ornamental plants grown in glasshouses.
In Italy, the presence of C. aonidum had been observed earlier but only in protected conditions. It was observed in Sicilia on Cycas spp. in 1994 and later on Kentia and Dracaena in glasshouses. It was detected outdoor on citrus for the first time in spring 2006 in Calabria. It was observed on Citrus aurantium grown for ornamental purposes in the centre of the municipality of Bianco (same location as in 2009). Other citrus trees growing in private gardens nearby were also infested. Interestingly, the presence of C. aonidum on outdoor citrus trees is also rather recent in Greece (2000) and Spain (1999). In mainland Spain, C. aonidum was first detected on outdoor citrus near Valencia in 1999, but the pest was successfully eradicated from this region (however, it is still recorded as present from Islas Canarias).
Sources
NPPO of Italy, 2009-10.
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