First report of Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus in Greece
In Greece, rice is cultivated in the region of Central Macedonia in the delta of Axios (Thessaloniki regional unit). During a surveillance programme on mosquitoes carried in July and August 2016 in rice fields of the Western part of Thessaloniki, 30 specimens of Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, rice water weevil – formerly EPPO Alert List) were collected. The identity of the pest was confirmed by morphological and molecular methods. It can be recalled that in Europe, L. oryzophilus was first found in Italy in 2004 (EPPO RS 2005/005). Although L. oryzophilus is considered to be a major pest of rice in Asia and the Americas, no severe economic damage has been reported in Italy (EPPO RS 2015/073). Further studies will be carried out in Greece to determine the pest distribution and the possible sources of its introduction.
Sources
Giantsis IA, Castells Sierra J, Chaskopoulou A (2017) The distribution of the invasive pest, rice water weevil Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is expanding in Europe: First record in the Balkans, confirmed by CO1 DNA barcoding. Phytoparasitica 45(2), 147-149.