Update on the situation of Pochazia shantungensis in Türkiye
In Türkiye, Pochazia shantungensis (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae – EPPO Alert List) was first reported in 2019 in the Marmara region, near Istanbul (EPPO RS 2021/129). It is now recorded from the provinces of Istanbul, Kocaeli and Yalova. A study was conducted between January 2019 and December 2020 in 5 districts of Istanbul (Kadıköy and Üsküdar on the-Asian side; Beşiktaş, Sarıyer, and Şişli on the European side) in parks and gardens where the pest occurs. It was observed that P. shantungensis has two generations per year. The main host plants were determined as Ligustrum lucidum and Olea europaea. The pest was observed on 57 plant species belonging to 31 families, including 38 new host plants compared to existing literature records. The new host species are: Acca sellowiana, Acer negundo, Berberis aquifolium, Calycanthus floridus, Carpinus betulus, Catalpa bignonioides, Cercis siliquastrum, Citrus japonica, Corylus avellana, Corylus maxima, Cotoneaster lacteus, Cydonia oblonga, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Elaeagnus pungens, Eriobotrya japonica, Euryops pectinatus, Fagus sylvatica, Gleditsia triacanthos, Hedera helix, Jasminum officinale, Liriodendron tulipifera, Lonicera japonica, Malus floribunda, Nerium oleander, Phormium tenax, Pittosporum tobira , Platanus acerifolia, Platanus orientalis, Prunus avium, Prunus laurocerasus, Prunus serrulata, Punica granatum, Pyracantha coccinea, Quercus robur, Rubus vestitus, Tilia tomentosa, Viburnum opulus, Vitex agnus-castus.
Zelus renardii (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) was observed as a predator of P. shantungensis.
The situation of Pochazia shantungensis in Türkiye can be described as: Present, not widely distributed and not under official control.
Sources
Hızal E, Öztemiz S, Gjonov I (2023) Phenology and host preferences of the invasive Pochazia shantungensis (Chou & Lu, 1977) (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae), a risk for agriculture and forest areas in the West-Palaearctic Region. Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 75(2), 251-258. https://www.acta-zoologica-bulgarica.eu/2023/002673