First report of Nipaecoccus viridis on citrus in Türkiye
During a survey in Türkiye in October 2024, 7 adult female specimens of the hibiscus mealybug, Nipaecoccus viridis (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae) were found to infest Citrus sp. plants in citrus plantations in Antalya province (Mediterranean region). N. viridis had previously been recorded on Robinia pseudoacacia in a greenhouse in Istanbul (Marmara region). This is the first finding in Antalya province and the first finding on Citrus sp. in Türkiye. Nipaecoccus viridis is a quarantine pest in Türkiye.
The NPPO of Türkiye confirmed to the EPPO Secretariat that N. viridis has been identified in Manavgat district, Antalya province. Phytosanitary measures have been applied, including the application of insecticides in the area. A delimiting survey is underway.
In the EPPO region, N. viridis is already known to occur in Algeria, Israel, Jordan. The EFSA Plant Health Panel recently conducted a pest categorization for this scale and concluded that it qualified to be considered a quarantine pest by the EU.
The pest status of Nipaecoccus viridis is officially declared as: Present, not widely distributed and under eradication.
Sources
EFSA Panel on Plant Health (2023) Pest categorisation of Nipaecoccus viridis. EFSA Journal 21(1), 7770. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7770
Kaydan MB, Erkiliç L (2025) First report of invasive species Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) associated with Citrus plantation in Turkey. Journal of Insect Biodiversity 61(1), 1-8.
NPPO of Türkiye (2025-06).
Ülgentürk S, Ercan C, Yaşar B, Kaydan MB (2025) Checklist of Turkish Coccoidea (Hemiptera: Sternorryncha) species. Trakya University Journal of Natural Sciences 23,113-129 https://doi.org/10.23902/trkjnat.1123152