Semanotus bifasciatus: first finding in Europe
Semanotus bifasciatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an oligophagous longhorned beetle native to China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan and the Russian Far East (south of Primorsky Krai). S. bifasciatus is a secondary pest of Cupressaceae trees in natural environments but in urban environments it has been reported to act as a primary pest of healthy mature trees, causing mortality of large mature trees.
In February 2024, a 45-year-old Thuja occidentalis tree in Primorsky Park, Mariupol (Donestk oblast, Ukraine) which had recently died was found with exit holes and signs of damage from an unidentified longhorned beetle. Trunk fragments of the dead tree were transported to a storage facility in Donetsk before analysis in the laboratory of the Donetsk Botanical Garden in September 2024. From November 2024 to February 2025, 191 adult beetles emerged from the trunk and were identified as S. bifasciatus on the basis of morphological tests. Evidence of development of a previous generation, and the two-year developmental cycle of S. bifasciatus, indicate that S. bifasciatus may have been present in Mariupol since 2021, but the exact timing of introduction is not known.
Sources
Gubin AI, Martynov VV, Nikulina TV, Bulysheva NI (2025) Semanotus bifasciatus (Motschulsky, 1875) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae): a new dangerous invasive pest of Cupressaceae in Europe. Far Eastern Entomologist 525, 5-12 https://doi.org/10.25221/fee.525.2