The sap-sucking insect Corythucha arcuata (Say) (Hemiptera Tingidae), also known as the oak lace bug (OLB), is an invasive pest mainly associated with oaks. Native to North America, it was introduced in Europe in 2000 (Northern Italy). The OLB is now reported in several other European countries, mostly from the Balkan region. At the time of its first record in Italy, the OLB had already invaded an extensive area between Lombardy and Piedmont. New reports were published in the following years for other north-eastern Italian regions: Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Emilia Romagna. The object of this study was to determine the presence of the OLB in Tuscany (central Italy). A survey of Quercus trees was carried out from late summer to early autumn 2021. All Tuscan provinces were included. In addition, during the survey also few sites in Latium, on the border with Tuscany (province of Viterbo), were included in this study, for a total of 50 survey points (SPs) located in urban and in peri-urban areas. In each SP, the number of attacked trees, as well as the infestation level of each oak species were recorded. Both morphological and molecular approaches were adopted to identify the pest. C. arcuata was found in 29 out of 50 SPs (28 in Tuscany and one in Latium). About 79% of the urban SPs had been invaded, as opposed to 32% of peri-urban invaded ones. This concurs with the agreed-upon hypothesis that the dispersal of this invasive pest is mainly human-mediated. Quercus robur and Quercus cerris were the most infested species (72% and 69% of attacked trees, respectively), while only 8% of Quercus pubescens trees were found to be infested. First records of OLB often are in urban environments, however, this insect is not only an urban problem, but also a forestry problem, in fact reports from Eastern Europe account for over 1.7 million hectares of OLB-infested forests. Thus, the OLB is a concern for oak forest health, and it is worthy of further research in order to help overcome the progressing European oak decline.
Updates on the invasive oak lace bug Corythucha arcuata, in Italy / Matteo BRACALINI, , Domenico RIZZO, , Tiziana PANZAVOLTA. - In: BULLETIN OF INSECTOLOGY. - ISSN 2283-0332. - ELETTRONICO. - 76:(2023), pp. 37-43.
Updates on the invasive oak lace bug Corythucha arcuata, in Italy
Matteo BRACALINI;Tiziana PANZAVOLTA
2023
Abstract
The sap-sucking insect Corythucha arcuata (Say) (Hemiptera Tingidae), also known as the oak lace bug (OLB), is an invasive pest mainly associated with oaks. Native to North America, it was introduced in Europe in 2000 (Northern Italy). The OLB is now reported in several other European countries, mostly from the Balkan region. At the time of its first record in Italy, the OLB had already invaded an extensive area between Lombardy and Piedmont. New reports were published in the following years for other north-eastern Italian regions: Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Emilia Romagna. The object of this study was to determine the presence of the OLB in Tuscany (central Italy). A survey of Quercus trees was carried out from late summer to early autumn 2021. All Tuscan provinces were included. In addition, during the survey also few sites in Latium, on the border with Tuscany (province of Viterbo), were included in this study, for a total of 50 survey points (SPs) located in urban and in peri-urban areas. In each SP, the number of attacked trees, as well as the infestation level of each oak species were recorded. Both morphological and molecular approaches were adopted to identify the pest. C. arcuata was found in 29 out of 50 SPs (28 in Tuscany and one in Latium). About 79% of the urban SPs had been invaded, as opposed to 32% of peri-urban invaded ones. This concurs with the agreed-upon hypothesis that the dispersal of this invasive pest is mainly human-mediated. Quercus robur and Quercus cerris were the most infested species (72% and 69% of attacked trees, respectively), while only 8% of Quercus pubescens trees were found to be infested. First records of OLB often are in urban environments, however, this insect is not only an urban problem, but also a forestry problem, in fact reports from Eastern Europe account for over 1.7 million hectares of OLB-infested forests. Thus, the OLB is a concern for oak forest health, and it is worthy of further research in order to help overcome the progressing European oak decline.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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