New data on quarantine pests and pests of the EPPO Alert List
By searching through the literature, the EPPO Secretariat has extracted the following new data concerning quarantine pests and pests included (or formerly included) on the EPPO Alert List, and indicated in bold the situation of the pest concerned using the terms of ISPM 8.
- New records
Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (Pospiviroid, CSVd – EPPO A2 List) and chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid (Pelamoviroid, CCMVD) occur in Thailand. They were detected from chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) crops during surveys in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces (North-western Thailand) in 2019–2021 (Supakitthanakorn et al., 2022). CSVd had been first reported from chrysanthemum in Nakhon Ratchasima province (Northeastern Thailand) in 2020 (Netwong et al., 2020)
Corythucha arcuata (Heteroptera: Tingidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) has recently been observed for the first time in the Iberian Peninsula. In March 2021, several specimens were collected in Portugal in the municipalities of Lousada and Vila Nova de Gaia, district of Porto (Gil & Grosso-Silva, 2021). In August 2022, C. arcuata was found in Spain, on Quercus pubescens in the Arán Valley (Lérida province, Cataluña) near the border with France (Riba-Flinch, 2022).
Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae – EPPO A2 List) is reported for the first time from Algeria. It was trapped in 2018 in M'sila in pomegranate (Punica granatum) orchards. During these trapping studies Zaprionus indianus and Drosophila melanogaster were also caught (Aouari et al., 2022).
Epitrix hirtipennis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), the tobacco flea beetle, is reported for the first time in Hungary. The first specimen was collected in May 2022 on a steppic sandy pasture near Bököny (Eastern Hungary). More specimens were then also found in several tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) crops in the regions of Nyírség (Eastern Hungary) and Kiskunság (Central Hungary). E. hirtipennis is native to North and Central America and was introduced into Europe in the 1980s. It is a pest of tobacco, eggplant, and potato, and it can also feed on wild Solanaceae species (Lukátsi et al., 2022).
Eurytoma plotnikovi (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) occurs in France. This pistachio seed pest was first detected in 2021 in pistachio (Pistacia vera) seeds which had been collected in 2020 in a non-commercial orchard in Le Tholonet, South-Eastern France) (Rousse & Reynaud, 2022).
Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) occurs in Armenia. It was first found in 2020 in the city of Yerevan and in 2021 near the city of Alaverdi (Lori region). Many specimens were first observed by citizens whose findings were then confirmed by entomologists (Kalashian et al., 2022).
Nematus lipovskyi (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae – Azalea sawfly) is recorded for the first time in Latvia. In May 2020, it was found in a Botanical Garden and a Rhododendron Breeding and Experimental Nursery. Larvae feeding on the foliage of Rhododendron calendulaceum, R. luteum, R. occidentale, and R. albrechtii have been observed, causing almost complete defoliation. In some cases, larvae also fed on flowers. N. lipovskyi occurs in the USA and was discovered for the first time in Europe in 2013 in the Czech Republic (EPPO RS 2013/143). For the moment in the EPPO region, N. lipovskyi has only been recorded in the Czech Republic and Latvia (Alpine & Piterāns, 2021).
Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), an insect feeding mainly on Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asteraceae) is reported for the first time in Hungary. In September 2020, a picture of a beetle taken near Budapest (with precise coordinates) and resembling O. communa was posted on a citizen science webpage. A few days later, entomologists visiting this location could collect further specimens (adults, a larva, a pupa, and eggs) on A. artemisiifolia and confirm the identity of the insect. As the meadows where O. communa was found are located near a motorway, cargo centres and a wholesale market for fruit and vegetables, it is supposed that O. communa has been introduced with international transport (Horváth & Lukátsi, 2020).
- Detailed records
The invasive grapevine aphid, Aphis illinoisensis (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is recorded for the first time in mainland Italy. Its presence was noticed in September 2021 in Colli Aniene (Rome) in a garden on Vitis labrusca. Photos of this first finding on the mainland had been posted on social media and the identity of the aphid was then confirmed by an aphidologist. (Casiraghi, 2021).
In the USA, Japanese apple rust caused by Gymnosporangium yamadae (EPPO A1 List) has been first confirmed in Minnesota in September 2022, at several orchards and nurseries in Dakota, Rice, and Scott counties on many different varieties of both crabapple and apple (Malus spp.) but not on junipers (MDA, 2022). G. yamadae was also reported from Wisconsin for the first time in 2021 on a crabapple tree in a nursery in Milwaukee County and again in 2022 in Dane and Ozaukee counties (WI DATCP, 2022).
In the USA, tar spot of maize caused by Phyllachora maydis (EPPO Alert List) was first reported from Maryland, county of Harford in September 2022 (Kness, 2022).
In Brazil, the blueberry rust Pucciniastrum minimum (syn. Thekopsora minima - EPPO A2 List) was found in Santa Catarina State in three orchards of blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) in 2020 (Araujo et al., 2022).
- Eradication
In the Netherlands the whitefly Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae – EPPO A2 List) was first found in potted plants of Citrus limon and x Citrofortunella microcarpa in the facilities of a trading company of potted plants in the province of Noord-Holland in February 2022. Larvae and pupae were found but no adults. Trace back investigations showed that plants originated in Italy. All host plants in the company were destroyed. Monitoring with traps did not detect any other adults. The outbreak is considered eradicated.
The pest status of Aleurocanthus spiniferus in the Netherlands is officially declared as: Absent, pest eradicated.
- Epidemiology
Studies on seed transmission in Jalapeno pepper (Capsicum annuum) showed that 33 to 70 % of seeds collected from plants infected by ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (EPPO A1 List for Solanaceae haplotypes) were positive for ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’. However, the pathogen was rarely detected in the seed embryo (0-8%) and none of the plants that emerged from the infected seed showed symptoms or tested positive. It is concluded that Capsicum seeds are unlikely to serve as sources for new infections by ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ and their impact on disease epidemiology is negligible (Workneh et al., 2022).
- New pests and taxonomy
During studies about a new Pucciniastrum species affecting an endangered plant in New Zealand (Pucciniastrum myosotidii sp. nov. on Myosotidium hortensia (Boraginaceae)), it was also proposed to transfer Thekopsora minima (EPPO A2 List) into the genus Pucciniastrum, and thus to name it Pucciniastrum minimum (Padamsee & McKenzie, 2014).
Sources
Alpine I, Piterāns U (2021) First records of Azalea sawfly Nematus lipovsky Smith, 1974 (Hymenoptera; Tenthredinidae) in Latvia. Proceedings of the 3rd Geolinks Conference (2021-05-17/19), 91-97. https://www.geolinks.info/_files/ugd/32dbef_5b9a80a3f80d4ca5a8a5c5f04784aae4.pdf
Aouari I, Barech G, Khaldi M (2022) First record of the agricultural pest Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Algeria. EPPO Bulletin 52(2), 471-478.
Araujo L, Pinto FAMF, Cristina Lage de Andrade C, Bitencourt Gomes L, Ramos Falkenbach B, Duarte V (2022) Occurrence of Thekopsora minima causing rust in blueberry orchards in Santa Catarina. Agropecuária Catarinense Journal 35(1), 32-35. https://doi.org/10.52945/rac.v35i1.1168
Casiraghi A (2021) First record of the invasive grapevine aphid Aphis illinoisensis Shimer, 1866 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in mainland Italy. Bonn zoological Bulletin 70(2), 373–375.
Gil F, Grosso-Silva JM (2021) Corythucha arcuata (Hemiptera: Tingidae), new species for the Iberian Peninsula. Arquivos Entomolóxicos 24, 307-308.
Horváth D, Lukátsi M (2020) First record of Ophraella communa in Hungary (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Folia Entomologica Hungarica 81, 73-79.
Kalashian MY, Ghrejyan TL, Karagyan GH (2022) Brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) penetrated into Armenia. Russian Journal of Biological Invasions 13(3), 305-308.
Kness A (2022) Tar spot of corn confirmed in Maryland. Agronomy News 13, 6. https://extension.umd.edu/resource/tar-spot-corn-confirmed-maryland
Lukátsi M, Horváth D, Tóth N (2022) First record of Epitrix hirtipennis in Hungary (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Folia Entomologica Hungarica 83, 45-51.
MDA Minnesota Department of Agriculture (2022-09-09) New fungal pathogen of apple trees discovered in Minnesota. https://www.mda.state.mn.us/new-fungal-pathogen-apple-trees-discovered-minnesota
Netwong C, Reanwarakorn K, Tansuwan K (2020) Detection of chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) from naturally infected chrysanthemum in Wang Nam Khiao District. Thai Journal of Agricultural Science 38(1), 23–32 (in Thai, with English abstract).
NPPO of the Netherlands (2022-03) First finding of Aleurocanthus spiniferus in plants of Citrus limon and xCitrofortunella microcarpa in a greenhouse of a trading company of potted plants (Province: Noord-Holland). https://english.nvwa.nl/topics/pest-reporting/documents/plant/plant-health/pest-reporting/documents/pest-report-aleurocanthus-spiniferus-march-2022
Padamsee M, McKenzie EHC (2014) A new species of rust fungus on the New Zealand endemic plant, Myosotidium, from the isolated Chatham Islands. Phytotaxa 174(3), 223–230.
Riba-Flinch JM (2022) Una nueva especie invasora en España: detectado el tigre del roble Corythucha arcuata (Say, 1832) (Hemiptera: Tingidae) y ataques sobre roble pubescente (Quercus pubescens) en el Valle de Arán (Lérida, Pirineos Orientales). Revista gaditana de Entomología 13, 99-113.
Rousse P, Reynaud P (2022) First report of the pest pistachio-seed wasp Eurytoma plotnikovi (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) in France. EPPO Bulletin 52(2), 456-459.
Supakitthanakorn S, Vichittragoontavorn K, Kunasakdakul K, Ruangwong OU (2022) Phylogenetic analysis and molecular characterization of chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid and chrysanthemum stunt viroid from chrysanthemum in Thailand. Journal of Phytopathology 170(10), 700-710.
WI DATCP (Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection) (2022) New reports of Japanese apple rust in Wisconsin. Field Notes 08-04-22 https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIDATCP/bulletins/326cf3d
Workneh F, Paetzold L, Rush CM (2022) Studies on seed transmission of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ in pepper and its impact on plant emergence. Plant Pathology 71(4), 927-933.