New data on invasive insects in the republic of Сrimea

Abstract

In recent years, the emergence of new invaders has been discovered in Crimea – the mealy lantern fly Metcalfa pruinosa (Say, 1830) (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Flatidae), the indian wax scale Ceroplastes ceriferus (Fabricius, 1798) (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Coccoidea), the southern green stink bug Nezara viridula (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), the stink bug Oxycarenus lavaterae (Fabricius, 1787) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) and palm moth Paysandisia archon (Burmeister, 1880) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae). Timely information on the penetration of new alien species that damage agricultural and ornamental crops into the entomofauna of Crimea, their distribution, biological characteristics that are relevant for specialists in the field of plant protection and landscape architecture. The number of mealy lantern fly has increased over the years of observations, and the list of host plants has also expanded, which has confirmed its polyphagia. In Crimea, a pest has appeared that can cause significant damage to fruit, berry, nut-bearing and ornamental crops. During the years of research, we discovered another alien species – the indian wax scale. As a result of damage to ornamental crops, individual branches dried out and some plants died. We assume that this phytophage was brought to the Crimea with planting material, because it occurs focally on objects of landscape architecture. Since 2018, palm trees have been damaged by the palm moth – one of the invasive pests of these plants on the southern coast of Crimea. Caterpillars damage the vascular system and the plant's growth point. As a result of the damage caused, the plants die. Since the same year, a new alien species, the southern green stink bug, has shown harmfulness on vegetable, berry and flower crops, as well as on weeds, and in 2020, for the first time in the Crimea, in the Nizhnegorsk region, another stink bug, O. lavaterae, was found on a linden. There is little information about this insect. It can form massive clusters on linden and hibiscus bark.