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
Atherigona reversura (Diptera: Muscidae - EPPO Alert List) is first recorded from the Republic of Korea. Specimens were identified in 2017 in the city of Daegu. Specimens of Atherigona miliaceae (Diptera: Muscidae), a species originating in India were also identified for the first time (Kim et al., 2023).
Aproceros leucopoda (Hymenoptera: Argidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) occurs in Lithuania. The first specimens were found in Pelėdnagiai (Kėdainiai district municipality, Kaunas County) in August 2020 on Ulmus sp. (Sinchuk et al., 2021).
In North America, Aproceros leucopoda (Hymenoptera: Argidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) was first found in 2020 in Canada, in Québec (EPPO RS 2020/184). In 2021, it was detected for the first time in the USA, in Virginia. In 2022, A. leucopoda was also confirmed in the following 4 states: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, and New York. Infestations occur on both native and cultivated elms (Ulmus americana, U. alata, U. parvifolia, U. procera, U. pumila, U. rubra, and a hybrid Ulmus x ‘Cathedral’). So far, feeding damage observed in the USA ranged from minor to severe. It is expected that this invasive species will continue to expand its range (Oten et al., 2023).
Corythauma ayyari (Heteroptera: Tingidae – jasmine lace bug) is reported for the first time from Germany. It was found on jasmine plants (Jasminum sp.) in Niedersachsen (JKI, 2023).
Megalurothrips usitatus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is reported for the first time from Puerto Rico. It was detected in March 2023 throughout the bean growing regions affecting bean (Phaseolus vulgaris and P. acutifolius), and soybean (Glycine max) crops (Cabrera-Asencio & de Jensen, 2023).
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae - EPPO A2 List) is first reported from the Caribbean Island of Saint-Martin. The pest was first detected in February 2023 in Les Terres-Basses and in November 2023 in the Baie orientale. The entire territory of Saint-Martin has been demarcated as an infested area and official measures are applied to eradicate the pest (DAAF Guadeloupe, 2023).
- Detailed records
In California (US), citrus yellow vein clearing virus (Potexvirus, CYVCV – EPPO Alert List) was first found in March 2022 in residential citrus trees in the city of Tulare (Tulare county). In December 2023, CYVCV was also detected in the Hacienda Heights area of Los Angeles county during a survey. Further surveys are being conducted in residential properties where citrus are planted within a 1 mile (1.6 km) radius around the initial finding site in Los Angeles county (Citrus insider, 2024).
The NPPO of the Netherlands (2023) informed the EPPO Secretariat that the pest status of sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus in the Netherlands is officially declared as: Present, in specific parts of the Member State, where host crop(s) are grown.
In China, tomato brown rugose fruit virus (Tobamovirus, ToBRFV – EPPO A2 List) is first reported from Liaoning province. ToBRFV was detected in April 2023 in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) grown in a greenhouse in Huladao city (Guo et al., 2023).
In Brazil, Zaprionus tuberculatus (Diptera: Drosophilidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) was first recorded in 2020 in Brasilia (Distrito Federal) (EPPO RS 2022/096). In 2022-2023, Z. tuberculatus was trapped in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul (Jobim et al., 2023), as well as in Minas Gerais. In Rio Grande do Sul the species was recorded from new host fruits: Butia capitata, Eugenia uniflora, Psidium cattleyanum, Vitis labrusca (Moreira et al., 2023).
- Eradication
In the Czech Republic, Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae – EPPO A2 List) was first found in 2022 in relation with an infested consignment of potted plants of Citrofortunella microcarpa (EPPO RS 2022/102). Infested plants were destroyed. No A. spiniferus was detected during the monitoring carried out with sticky traps in the greenhouse where infested plants had been found (NPPO of the Czech Republic, 2023-12).
The pest status of Aleurocanthus spiniferus in the Czech Republic is officially declared as: Absent, pest eradicated.
In Germany, Rhagoletis zoqui (Diptera: Tephritidae, EU Annex II A as ‘Rhagoletis spp.’) was first trapped in a nursery in Nordrhein-Westfalen in August 2019 (EPPO RS 2020/032). In 2020 and 2021, surveys were carried out in the nursery and the surroundings. No further specimens were detected. In 2022, the pest was also included in the national survey programme without any further findings (NPPO of Germany, 2023).
The pest status of Rhagoletis zoqui in Germany is officially declared as: Absent, no longer present, confirmed by survey.
- Host plants
Natural infection of medlar (Mespilus germanica) by Hop stunt viroid (Pospiviroid, HSVd – EU RNQP) is reported for the first time. HSVd was detected in asymptomatic samples of M. germanica collected in 2021 from a fruit-tree collection orchard in Malatya province, Türkiye (Oksal, 2024).
Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (Tobamovirus, ToBRFV – EPPO A2 List) is reported for the first time as naturally infesting the weeds Convolvulus arvensis and Polycarpon tetraphyllum. In summer 2023 asymptomatic samples of both weeds that were growing in a tomato greenhouse were found to have high-rates of infection with ToBRFV (Cultrona et al., 2024).
Sources
Cabrera-Asencio I, de Jensen CE (2023) First report of the exotic species Megalurothrips usitatus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), pest of Fabaceae, in Puerto Rico. Florida Entomologist 106(4), 267-269. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.106.0410
Citrus Insider. Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program (2023-12-22) Citrus yellow vein clearing virus found in Los Angeles County. https://citrusinsider.org/2023/12/22/citrus-yellow-vein-clearing-virus-found-in-los-angeles-county/
Cultrona M, Bonini N, Pacifico D, Tessitori M (2024) First report of Convolvulus arvensis and Polycarpon tetraphyllum as natural hosts of tomato brown rugose fruit virus. Plant Disease (early view) https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-11-23-2413-PDN
DAAF Guadeloupe (2023-12-22) Arrêté préfectoral relatif à la lutte contre le charançon rouge du palmier sur le territoire de Saint-Martin du 21 décembre 2023. https://daaf.guadeloupe.agriculture.gouv.fr/arrete-prefectoral-relatif-a-la-lutte-contre-le-charancon-rouge-du-palmier-sur-a1855.html (via https://plateforme-esv.fr/)
Guo H, Dong X, Wang Z, An M, Yang X, Xia Z, Wu Y (2023) First report of tomato brown rugose fruit virus infecting Solanum lycopersicum in Northeast China. Plant Disease (early view). https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-11-23-2395-PDN
JKI (2023) Express-PRA zu Corythauma ayyari – Auftreten https://pra.eppo.int/pra/f66f4360-f867-4381-9e10-0bafae1ea011/
Jobim K, Kaster PL, da Rosa BR, Tidon R, Garcia FR (2023) Expansion of the area of occurrence of Zaprionus tuberculatus (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in the Americas and registration of new host plants. Brazilian Journal of Biology 83, e273916. https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.273916
Kim YK, Kim D, Suh SJ (2023) Two unrecorded species of the genus Atherigona (Diptera: Muscidae) from Korea. Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity 39(3), 92-98. https://doi.org/10.5635/ASED.2023.39.3.002
Moreira MM, Dias LD, Sena LC, Lino Neto J, Medeiros HF, Yotoko K (2023) First record of Zaprionus tuberculatus Malloch, 1932 (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 67(3), e20230031. https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9665-RBENT-2023-0031
NPPO of the Czech Republic (2023-12).
NPPO of Germany (2023-12).
NPPO of the Netherlands (2023-12).
Oksal HD (2024) Medlar (Mespilus germanica), a novel natural host for Hop stunt viroid (HSVd). Plant Protection Science (online). https://doi.org/10.17221/93/2023-PPS
Oten KL, Day E, Dellinger T, Disque HH, Barringer LE, Cancelliere J, Somers L, Bertone MA (2023) First records of elm zigzag sawfly (Hymenoptera: Argidae) in the United States. Journal of Integrated Pest Management 14(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmad009
Sinchuk A, Vaicekauskaitė K, Sinchuk N (2021) First record of Aproceros leucopoda Takeuchi, 1939 (Hymenoptera: Argidae) in Lithuania. Bulletin of the Lithuanian Entomological Society 5(33), 111-113.