Further information on the occurrence of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus in Spain
As stated in the EPPO RS 96/096, an Asiatic palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus was observed for the first time in Spain, in the coastal region of Granada on Phoenix canariensis. At present, it has been found in an area of 50 km along the coast from Motril (Granada) to Nerja (Málaga); and this is the first report of this pest in Europe.
This insect originates from south-east Asia and Oceania and can attack various palm trees (mainly coconut but also other palms). In the Near East (Cox, 1991), R. ferrugineus is recorded as an important pest of date palm. It occurred for the first time in the United Arab Emirates in 1986, in Saudi Arabia in 1987 and in Iran in 1992. Its establishment in Egypt (first record for Africa) was confirmed in 1992. The pest is also reported from Qatar (Abdou, 1996). Its geographical distribution is the following:
EPPO region: Egypt, Spain
Asia: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam.
Africa: Egypt
Oceania: Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands.
In Spain, to eradicate the pest and to prevent any further spread, the following measures have been taken: 1) surveys in the areas where the pest is present and in their vicinity, with emphasis given to nurseries; 2) destruction of all infested palm trees; 3) establishment of a network of traps for adults (pheromone and kairomone) in parks and gardens; 4) inventory of all nurseries producing and/or selling any palm species; 5) extension and information of growers, official institutes and also the general public; 6) studies on the biology of the pest, efficacy of chemical treatments; 7) project of phytosanitary measures to be taken to prevent the movement of infested plants.
Sources
Plant Protection Service of Spain, 1996-11.
Cox, M.L. (1993) Red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus in Egypt.
FAO Plant Protection Bulletin, 41(1), 30-31.
Abdou, R.M. (1996) Date palm trees damaged by some insects in the State of Qatar.
Abstract of a paper presented at the XX International Congress of Entomology, Firenze (IT), 1996-08-25/31 (Abst. 17-048, p 545).