Pest species composition of fragrant trees in the parks and gardens of Yerevan City, Armenia

Abstract

Several fragrant tree species, i.e., Aesculus hippocastanum, Magnolia brooklynensis „Yellow Bird,‟ Catalpa bignonioides, and Prunus serrulata were previously registered in the database. A. hippocastanum, Ailanthus altíssima, C. bignonioides, and Robinia pseudoacacia were found to be the most common and important species in the parks and gardens of Yerevan, Armenia. These species were found in almost all of the studied gardens. The present study aimed to investigate the species composition of the pests of fragrant trees in different landscaped areas of Yerevan, Armenia, during 2020–2021. This study found 48 species of pests of fragrant trees in various parks and gardens. The species belonged to three taxonomic classes, 11 orders, and 33 families. These pest species significantly suppressed the growth and development of fragrant trees, and in some cases, even caused the trees to dry out. In the early spring, the pest species Parthenolecanium corni Bouche., Euproctis chrysorrhoea, Aphis laburni Kalt., Myzus cerasi, Panonychus ulmi, Tetranychus urticae, and Schizotetranychus pruni were observed on fragrant plants. Notably, this study revealed six species of fragrant tree pests, of which four, i.e., Dasineura gleditchiae, Halyomorpha halys, Trioza neglecta, and Calophya rhois, were found for the first time in the fauna of Armenia, and two, i.e., Obolodiplosis robiniae and Euura tibialis, were found previously in Tavush Region, Dilijan, Armenia.