Pests intercepted during luggage inspections in Campania (Italy)
A recent article reports findings by phytosanitary inspectors during luggage and commodity inspections in the different points of entry in the Campania region, Italy between 2016 and 2021. It is noted that a large variety of plant material is imported by airline passengers (168 different plant species; different plant material such as fruit, bark, dried leaves). When the luggage of passengers transporting plant material was checked, inspections detected at least one arthropod in 41% of cases. In particular, the following pests of concern were found in passenger luggage
- larvae of Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae, EPPO A1 List) in fruits of mango (Mangifera indica);
- larvae of the Bactrocera dorsalis complex (Diptera: Tephritidae – EPPO A1 List) in fruits of guava (Psidium guajava), Momordica charantia, and mango;
- larvae of Leucinodes africensis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae, EPPO A1 List) in Solanum aethiopicum fruits;
- adults of Sternochetus frigidus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in mango;
- larvae of Glyphodes pseudocaesalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) fruits;
- larvae of Earias vittella (Lepidoptera: Nolidae) in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) fruits;
- larvae of Maruca vitrata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on pods of Lablab purpureus.
It may be noted that some pests were intercepted from countries where they are not known to occur: for example Sternochetus frigidus was intercepted from Burkina Faso whereas it is only reported from Asia, and Leucinodes africensis was intercepted from Bangladesh whereas it is only known from Africa.
Sources
Pace R, Ascolese R, Miele F, Russo E, Griffo RV, Bernardo U, Nugnes F (2022) The bugs in the bags: the risk associated with the introduction of small quantities of fruit and plants by airline passengers. Insects 13(7), 617. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13070617