New pest records in Greece
Two mites (Acari: Tetranychidae), Oligonychus perseae (formerly EPPO Alert List) and Oligonychus punicae are first reported from Greece. They were observed in April 2024 on avocado (Persea americana) crops in Crete.
O. perseae was first observed in Zounaki (Chania district) and by autumn of 2024, it rapidly spread across nearly all regions where avocados are cultivated in the western and coastal part of Crete. So far, the damage in orchards remains below economic damage thresholds.
Oligonychus punicae (Acari: Tetranychidae) was observed in Agia village and remained localized in a few orchards.
Bitsakis et al. (2026) considered that the pests were likely to have been introduced with avocado plants for planting from Spain.
Echinothrips americanus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae – EAEU A1 List) was first recorded in Greece in 2023. The thrips infested Rhoicissus rhombifolia plants in Attiki (Lytra et al., 2025).
Sources
Bitsakis D, Petrakis I, Stathakis T, Kapaxidi E, Varikou K, Papachristos D (2026) New records of Tetranychidae (Prostigmata) in avocado crops in Crete, Greece. Hellenic Plant Protection Journal 19, 26-32. DOI 10.2478/hppj-2026-0004
Lytra IC, Markoyiannaki DM, Milonas PG (2025) First record of the poinsettia thrips Echinothrips americanus Morgan (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Greece. Hellenic Plant Protection Journal 18, 79-82. https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/hppj-2025-0009