Polydrusus tibialis: a new pest of peach in Greece
Polydrusus tibialis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a weevil species known to infest several fruit trees, including peach (Prunus persica) and has been reported to occur across southern and south-eastern Europe. During a faunistic study conducted during the growing season of peach between April and July 2024, P. tibialis was found in peach orchards in Pella, Central Macedonia, Northern Greece. Adult specimens were found in traps and on leaves and shoots of peach trees that showed serrated leaves and deformed fruits. Larvae of P. tibialis were also found to infest the roots of young peach trees causing wilting and reduced growth. The identity of the pest was confirmed by morphological and molecular testing. P. tibialis has been reported in Greece before, but this is the first record as a pest of peach in Greece. Andreadis et al. (2025) also report that serious infestation occurred in Thessaly region (Northern Greece).
Sources
Alonso-Zarazaga MA, Barrios H, Borovec R, Bouchard P, Caldara R, Colonnelli E, Gültekin L, Hlaváč P, Korotyaev B, Lyal CHC, Machado A, Meregalli M, Pierotti H, Ren L, Sánchez-Ruiz M, Sforzi A, Silfverberg H, Skuhrovec J, Trýzna M, Yunakov N (2023) Cooperative catalogue of palaearctic Coleoptera Curculionoidea. Monografías electrónicas. Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa 14(2), 1–780. http://sea-entomologia.org/MeSEA14_2023.pdf
Andreadis SS, Koutsogeorgiou EI, Navrozidis EI, Kaltsidis A, Avtzis DN (2025) First report of Polydrusus tibialis Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) infesting peaches in northern Greece. Insects 16(2), 192. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16020192