A first worldwide monitoring of invasive Mediterranean pine bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

MASSIMO FACCOLI; DIEGO GALLEGO; MANUELA BRANCO; ECKEHARD BROCKERHOFF; JUAN CORLEY; DAVID COYLE; BERTT HURLEY; JACTEL HERVÉ; FERENC LAKATOS; MARÍA VICTORIA LANTSCHNER; SIMON LAWSON; GONZALO MARTÍNEZ; DIMITRIOS AVTZIS

Congreso; XI European Congress of Entomology; 2018

In recent decades some Mediterranean species of pine bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) became established in temperate countries of the southern hemisphere, posing a novel threat to large pine plantations. Our objectives were to investigate i) the presence of Mediterranean pine bark beetles (Orthotomicus, Hylurgus, and Hylastes) in countries of the southern hemisphere; ii) the main biological features of the species in the invaded areas; iii) the trapping performance of different blends of generic lures. In 2017, a network of pheromone traps was installed in 6 newly invaded areas of USA and the southern hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay), and for comparison in 6 native European countries (Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, Hungary). Half of the traps were baited with α-pinene and ethanol, and the other half with α-pinene, ethanol, and bark beetle pheromones (Ipsdienol, Ipsenol, and Z-verbenol). Traps were emptied every second week. Five Mediterranean species (Hylurgus ligniperda, Hylastes ater, H. angustatus, Orthotomicus erosus, and O. laricis) were found in non-European countries. Specifically, H. ligniperda and H. ater were the species invading most of monitored countries (5 and 3 countries, respectively), while O. laricis and H. angustatus occurred only in one country (Argentina and South Africa, respectively). Populations occurring in the invaded areas show phenology and voltinism similar to the populations occurring in the native areas (Europe). Despite the large variations among species and countries, most species were trapped mainly with the blend containing bark beetle pheromones, except O. erosus that was more attracted by α-pinene and ethanol alone. These results pose the first step towards the development of an international monitoring protocol based on multi-lure traps for the interception of invasive species.