First report of Coccotrypes cyperi in Sweden
The NPPO of Sweden recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the first finding of the bark beetle Coccotrypes cyperi (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) on its territory. The pest was first detected on a plant of Ficus retusa purchased at a retail chain store in February 2021. Trace forward analysis showed that 22 plants from the same batch had been distributed to 4 separate stores of the retail chain. All 22 plants were destructively sampled. At two of the retail stores, 6 out of 7 F. retusa sampled were infested by Coccotrypes sp. In the other two stores a total of 15 plants were inspected and found to be free of Coccotrypes sp. but at one retail store an infestation of Opogona sacchari (Lepidoptera: Tineidae – EPPO A2 List) was detected. Trace back analysis showed that the plants had been imported from a third country via another EU Member State. A quick risk assessment was performed by SLU Risk Assessment of Plant Pests which concluded that the likelihood of establishment outdoors in Sweden and the Nordic region was very low because of unsuitable ecoclimatic conditions and the absence of host plant species.
The pest status of Coccotrypes cyperi in Sweden is officially declared as: Transient, actionable, under eradication.
Note: C. cyperi originates from South East Asia but has spread outside its native range. It is now reported from Africa (the Seychelles), Asia, North, Central and South America, and Oceania. In Europe, the species has been intercepted in Cyprus on plants for planting of Ficus microcarpa (EPPO RS 2015/138, RS 2013/088). The species is very polyphagous and has been reported from at least 50 host plant species.
Sources
NPPO of Sweden (2021-04, 2021-05).
SLU Risk Assessment of Plant Pests (2021) Coccotrypes cyperi – distribution, host plants and potential for establishment in Sweden and the Nordic region, 13 pp. Available at https://www.slu.se/globalassets/ew/org/centrb/riskv/pub/coccotrypes-cyperi_23april2021.pdf and at https://pra.eppo.int/organism/COCOCY