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
Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – EPPO A1 List) is reported for the first time from Peru. It was reported in August 2024 from the Amazonas Region (Bagua District). Official measures are applied to eradicate the pest (IPPC, 2024).
The pest status of Thrips palmi in Peru is officially declared as: Present: transient.
The NPPO of the United Kingdom recently informed the EPPO Secretariat that a breeding population of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae – formerly EPPO Alert List) was found for the first time on its territory. It is noted that H. halys had been intercepted in the United Kingdom since 2010, but surveys in the wider environment only found adult specimens (no eggs or juveniles). The breeding population has been observed in one glasshouse in Southeastern England. The climate in the United Kingdom is thought to be generally unsuitable for the establishment of the pest outdoors, but this finding shows that it can establish under protected conditions (NPPO of the United Kingdom, 2024).
The pest status of Halyomorpha halys in the United Kingdom is officially declared as: Present: not widely distributed and not under official control.
- Detailed records
In Brazil, Plesiommata corniculata (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae, EU A1 List) is a known vector of Xylella fastidiosa (EPPO A2 List) which is the causal agent of citrus variegated chlorosis. During surveys conducted in citrus orchards in 2022-2023, it was first reported from the state of Amazonas (Moreno Franco et al., 2024).
In Peru, citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas citri pv. citri (EPPO A1 List) was first reported from Peru in March 2023 from the department of Ucayali. As of August 2024, it has also been recorded in the neighbouring department of Loreto (IPPC, 2024).
The pest status of Xanthomonas citri pv. citri in Peru is officially declared as: Present: not widely distributed and under official control.
- Host plants
Studies conducted in New York state (US) have confirmed that apple trees (Malus domestica) are a host plant of Anisandrus maiche (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). During winter 2024, potted apple trees showing visible signs of ambrosia beetle attacks (i.e. entry/exit holes) were dissected. The presence of galleries with A. maiche larvae (and a few adults), and the fungal symbiont (Ambrosiella cleistominuta) could be observed. Interestingly, these potted apple trees were also naturally infected by Erwinia amylovora, and it is known that adults of A. maiche are attracted to the combination of ethanol and isoamyl alcohol which have both been reported as primary components of the volatile blend emitted by E. amylovora (Tobin et al., 2024).
During studies conducted in the Republic of Korea on the use of a non-invasive method (sonic tomography) to assess internal injuries caused by wood borers on urban trees, it was shown that Quercus palustris (pin oak) can be infested by Massicus raddei (Lee et al., 2024). In an Express PRA (EPPO, 2018), it had been noted that all known hosts of M. raddei were of Asian origin. There is now evidence that Q. palustris, a species native to North-Eastern USA and planted in the EPPO region (mainly as an ornamental), can also be attacked by this insect.
Sources
EPPO (2018) Pest risk analysis for Massicus raddei. EPPO, Paris. Available at https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/MALLRA/documents
IPPC website. Official Pest Reports. Peru (PER-05/2 of 2024-08-24) Reporte de Thrips palmi – Perú. https://www.ippc.int/fr/countries/peru/pestreports/2024/08/reporte-de-thrips-palmi-peru/
IPPC website. Official Pest Reports. Peru (PER-03/3 of 2024-08-24) Actualización de la condición de Xanthomonas citri pv. citri en Perú. https://www.ippc.int/fr/countries/peru/pestreports/2024/08/actualizacion-de-la-condicion-de-xanthomonas-citri-subsp-citri-en-peru/
Lee BJ, Son S, Jung JK, Park Y (2024) Non-invasive assessment of the internal condition of urban trees infested by two cerambycid beetles, Aromia bungii and Massicus raddei, using sonic tomography. Forests 15(7), 1231. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15071231
Moreno Franco PV, Froza JA, Pecly NH, Lopes JRS, Lima JLdSB, Acioli ANS (2024) New records of sharpshooters (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Cicadellinae) in citrus orchards in Amazonas State, Brazil. Insects 15, 649. 13 pp. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15090649
NPPO of the United Kingdom (2024-09).
Tobin KN, Moore ME, Lizarraga S, Petzoldt J, Reese C, Lovett B, Rivera MJ (2024) First report of Anisandrus maiche (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) infesting apple trees. Zootaxa 5506(2), 261-271.