First report of Earias roseifera in Italy
The NPPO of Italy recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the first record of Earias roseifera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Italy. In June 2018, a phytosanitary inspector collected larvae of an unknown pest actively feeding on azalea (Rhododendron sp.) shoots and buds, in a private garden near Como (Lombardia region). Specimens were sent to the diagnostic laboratory where the larvae were reared to the adult stage, and identified by morphological and molecular methods as Earias roseifera. This identification was also confirmed by a Japanese expert on lepidoptera. The situation will be monitored in Italy in order to collect more information about this insect species.
The pest status of Earias roseifera is officially declared as: Present in specific parts of the Member State, where host crop(s) are grown, at low prevalence.
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EPPO note: Very little information is available from the scientific literature on E. roseifera. This insect which feeds on azaleas and rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.) occurs in Asia. It has been recorded in China, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Russia (Amur, Khabarovsk, Primorye) and Taiwan. Images can be viewed on the Internet:
https://bioinfo.lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp/db/modules/zukan/index.php?action=node&node_id=2378
http://www.jpmoth.org/Nolidae/Eariadinae/Earias_roseifera.html
Sources
NPPO of Italy (2018-08).
INTERNET
- An Identification Guide of Japanese Moths. Earias roseifera. http://www.jpmoth.org/Nolidae/Eariadinae/Earias_roseifera.html
http://www.jpmoth.org/~dmoth/78_Nolidae/06_Eariadinae/3986_Earias_roseifera/Earias_roseifera.htm
- Insecta.pro. http://insecta.pro/taxonomy/22252
- Insect (Lepidoptera) Database. http://insect.ndsl.kr/renew/sub_db01_view.php?p_id=LEP-060-00354
- TAIBIF. Taiwan Biodiversity Information Facility. Earias roseifera. http://taibif.tw/en/namecode/346868