Plant quarantine alarm: as much as 20 new alien insect pest species including Drosophila suzukii appeared in the Caucasus in the last seven years

Abstract

In 2011-2017 an unusually high number of invasive pests new to European Russia were detected for the first time in Sochi on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. We present the first reports of two pests new for the Caucasus and European Russia found in 2017: Drosophila suzukii (a pest of fruit, included to EPPO A2 list) and Otiorhynchus armadillo (a pest of agricultural and ornamental plants). Other recently established insects: a polyphagous pest Halyomorpha halys (first record in 2014); pests of palm trees included to EPPO A2 list: Paysandisia archon (2014) and Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (2012); a pest of Solanaceae: Epitrix hirtipennis (2013); a pest of ornamental flowers: Luperomorpha xanthodera (2016); a pest of soybeans: Medythia nigrobilineata (2016); a pest of wine production: Harmonia axyridis (2012); a pest of strawberry: Stelidota geminata (2013); pests of Eucalyptus: Ophelimus maskelli (2011), Glycaspis bremblecomblei (2014), Leptocybe invasa (2014); a pest of Cupressaceae: Lamprodila festiva (2013); a pest of Gleditsia: Dasineura gleditchiae (2011), a pest of Buxus: Cydalima perspectalis (2012); a pest of Albizia: Acizzia jamatonica (2014); a pest of Cercis: Cacopsylla pulchella (2014). Probably most of insects were introduced with imported planting material during the landscaping of the city of Sochi in preparation for the Olympic Games (held in 2014). Quarantine measures should be taken to prevent dispersal of these pests to other regions of the Caucasus and countries of the Black Sea region. Attention should be paid to a new pest for Europe Medythia nigrobilineata.