Incursion of Erthesina fullo (Thunberg, 1783) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Italy
The yellow-spotted stink bug, Erthesina fullo (Thunberg) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a highly polyphagous stink bug native to Asia. It can contaminate commodities in trade, similar to Halyomorpha halys. In the EPPO region, it was first recorded from Albania (EPPO RS 2020/170, RS 2021/133) and a few specimens were also found near a port in Greece (RS 2025/001). Outside of Asia, it was detected in the State of Sao Paulo in Brazil and intercepted in New Zealand.
A recent scientific article documents the first finding of this pest in Italy, based on an adult female collected on a parked vehicle in an urban area of Montegrotto Terme (Padua province, Veneto) in early April 2026. The pest was identified by morphological examination. The authors consider that early spring collection aligns with typical post-overwintering emergence. Immediate targeted field surveys were conducted in the vicinity (500 m radius) with the help of a regional phytosanitary inspector and did not detect any additional specimens.
There is no indication that E. fullo is established in Italy.
An updated distribution map is available in EPPO Global Database: https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/ERTNFU/distribution
Sources
Scaccini D, Moretto E, Dioli P, Pozzebon A (2026) First record of Erthesina fullo (Thunberg, 1783) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Italy. EPPO Bulletin (early view). https://doi.org/10.1111/epp.70077