"THE WALNUT SHIELD BEARER COPTODISCA LUCIFLUELLA (CLEMENS, 1860) (LEPIDOPTERA: HELIOZELIDAE) – THE FIRST RECORD IN ROMANIA THE WALNUT SHIELD BEARER COPTODISCA LUCIFLUELLA (CLEMENS, 1860) (LEPIDOPTERA: HELIOZELIDAE) – THE FIRST RECORD IN ROMANIA THE WALNUT SHIELD BEARER COPTODISCA LUCIFLUELLA (CLEMENS, 1860) (LEPIDOPTERA: HELIOZELIDAE) – THE FIRST RECORD IN ROMANIA THE WALNUT SHIELD BEARER COPTODISCA LUCIFLUELLA (CLEMENS, 1860) (LEPIDOPTERA: HELIOZELIDAE) – THE

Abstract

" The invasive species Coptodisca lucifluella, also called the walnut shield bearer is recorded for the first time in Romania in this report. It is a leaf miner of North American origin, having been discovered for the first time in Europe (Italy) in 2010. Since then it has been confirmed in other three European countries, Hungary (2017), Ukraine (2019) and Bulgaria (2020), and now in Romania. In its native habitats, the species is known to be specialized on woody plants from the family Juglandaceae, genus Carya, in particular the pecan nut tree, Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch. In the newly occupied territories in Europe, the moth was reported mainly on Juglans spp., especially J. regia (L.) (with very few instances on Juglans nigra (L.), Carya spp. and Pterocarya spp.). In August 2022, leaves of common walnut (J. regia) with mines of C. lucifluella were collected in Southern Romania (Bucharest, Ilfov and Giurgiu Counties) and Western Romania (Arad County). The walnuts were in cities, rural areas, alongside roads and walnuts spontaneously grown in vineyards, at altitudes from 60 to 200 m a.s.l."