Alien species of Auchenorrhyncha found in Serbia
In Serbia, a faunistic study on Auchenorrhyncha species was conducted in 2019. Three types of habitats were surveyed: (1) urban area of Novi Sad; (2) vegetation near the Belgrade customs office terminal and areas along the A1 motorway; (3) undisturbed habitats in the Special Nature Reserves of Zasavica and Deliblatska peščara, as well as in the Stara planina Nature Park. Out of more than 200 Auchenorrhyncha species identified during these studies, the following 3 alien species were recorded for the first time in Serbia.
- Acanalonia conica (Hemiptera: Acanaloniidae): 4 male and 4 female specimens were collected by hand in Novi Sad (Vojvodina, Northern Serbia) in July 2019. The insects were found on an ornamental Prunus salicina. A. conica originates from North America and is a polyphagous species. In the EPPO region, it was first found in Italy in 2003, and then also reported from Romania, Slovenia and Switzerland (see EPPO RS 2007/217 and https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/ACNLCO/distribution).
- Erasmoneura vulnerata (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae): 2 male and 2 female specimens were found near Belgrade along the A1 motorway in September 2019. These specimens were collected (sweep net) on Vitis sp. plants growing among a bushy vegetation. E. vulnerata originates from North America. In the EPPO region, it was first reported in Italy in 2004 and in Slovenia in 2010 (https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/ERYTVU/distribution). E. vulnerata feeds on wild and cultivated Vitis species, and a number of secondary hosts. In Italy, it has been observed that it could cause damage such as leaf curling, discoloration and scorching on Vitis labrusca and V. vinifera.
- Orientus ishidae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae): two specimens were caught in light traps in Vojvodina (Northern Serbia). A male specimen was caught in Novi Sad in July 2019 and a female was caught in Zasavica in August 2019. O. ishidae originates from Asia and has been introduced into North America, as well as in several countries of the EPPO region (see EPPO RS 2015/098 and https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/ORIEIS/distribution). O. ishidae is a highly polyphagous species which has been experimentally shown to transmit a phytoplasma associated with flavescence dorée and is suspected to be a vector of other phytoplasmas (e.g. ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni’).
In addition, the following alien species of Auchenorrhyncha were found during these studies: Japananus hyalinus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), Metcalfa pruinosa (Hemiptera: Flatidae), Phlogotettix cyclops (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae, Scaphoideus titanus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), and Stictocephala bisonia (Hemiptera: Membracidae). The authors noted that A. conica, E. vulnerata, O. ishidae and P. cyclops are recognized as either potential or true pests of grapevine by causing direct feeding damage or transmitting phytoplasma diseases (O. ishidae), and therefore may present new phytosanitary risks for Serbian vineyards.
Sources
Šćiban M, Kosovac A (2020) New records and updates on alien Auchenorrhyncha species in Serbia. Pesticides and Phytomedicine (Belgrade) 35(1), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.2298/PIF2001009S