Record of the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) in Ukraine is Confirmed.

Drogvalenko Drogvalenko,Bieńkowski Bieńkowski,Orlova-Bienkowskaja Orlova-Bienkowskaja

doi:10.3390/insects10100338

Drogvalenko Drogvalenko, Bieńkowski Bieńkowski + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10100338

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Abstract

Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is a devastating invasive pest of ash trees. This wood-boring insect is native to Asia and established in European Russia about 20 years ago. It severely damages Fraxinus pennsylvanica plantations and quickly spreads. In 2019 we first detected A. planipennis in Ukraine. More than 20 larvae were collected from under the bark of F. pennsylvanica trees on 5 September 2019 in the Markivka District of the Luhansk Region. The coordinates of the localities of collection were 49.614991 N, 39.559743 E; 49.614160 N, 39.572402 E; and 49.597043 N, 39.561811 E. The photos of the damaged trees with larval galleries, exit holes and larvae are presented. It indicates that A. planipennis is established in the east of Ukraine. This fact is important for development of quarantine protocols to prevent or at least slow the further spread of this invasive pest in Europe.

Highlights

The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), a pest of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.), is native to China, Russian Far East, Japan and Korea [1]
The spread of A. planipennis should be carefully monitored, because it poses a serious threat to F. pennsylvanica plantations in Europe [5]
The stems of about 250 ash trees (F. excelsior and F. pennsylvanica) were examined for the characteristic D-shaped exit holes

Summary

Introduction

The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), a pest of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.), is native to China, Russian Far East, Japan and Korea [1]. Since its accidental introduction to North America in the 1990s, this devastating pest has widely spread in Canada and the United States and killed hundreds of millions of ash trees [2]. The introduction of EAB into Moscow, again back in the 1990s, has likewise led to widespread mortality of F. pennsylvanica in an ever-expanding outward range [3,4]. In 2018, it was recorded in the very south of the Voronezh Region of Russia, i.e. near the border of the Luhansk Region of Ukraine [6]. We decided to look for the pest in the Luhansk Region of Ukraine

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Conclusion