Update on the situation of Anisandrus maiche in Italy
Anisandrus maiche (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae, regulated by the EU as ‘non-European Scolytinae’) was first recorded in spring 2021 in Italy when one specimen was caught in a trap in Veneto (EPPO RS 2022/147) in Treviso province.
Further surveys were conducted in 2021 in Northern Italy: in Lombardia, trapping was performed in multiple localities in the provinces of Bergamo, Milan and Lecco in April–May 2021, and in Veneto, trapping was performed in the Euganean hills area (province of Padua) from March to July 2021
In total 165 adults were caught in all provinces surveyed. A. maiche was detected in multiple, non-contiguous areas and in a consistent number of specimens during trapping activities. The authors consider that it is either a recent introduction followed by a rapid spread or multiple independent introductions. No damage has been reported in Italy so far.
Sources
Ruzzier E, Bani L, Cavaletto G, Faccoli M, Rassati D (2022) Anisandrus maiche Kurentzov (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), an Asian species recently introduced and now widely established in Northern Italy. BioInvasions Records 11(3), 652–658, https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2022.11.3.07