First record in Cyprus of Cinara (Cinara) cedri Mimeur (Aphididae Lachninae) on Cedrus brevifolia (Hooker fil.) Henry.

The Authors report on the discovery in South Cyprus of the aphid Cinara (Cinara) cedri Mimeur collected on the endemic cedar, Cedrus brevifolia (Hooker fil.) Henry. This is the first record of the lacnid in Cyprus. The ecological aspects of the cedar and its interaction with the related aphid species are discussed. The Authors suggest the hypothesis that the aphid may be co-endemic with its host conifer since it shows significant morphological differences compared with specimens from other European regions. The question whether the Cyprus cedar aphid can be injurious or not to its host plant is debated as well. The exact taxonomic position of this lacnid is currently under investigation

Anoplophora chinensis (Forster) (Coleoptera Cerambycidae) in the outbreak site in Rome (Italy): experiences in dating exit holes

Anoplophora chinensis is a poliphagous woodboring beetle native to Eastern Asia, and is a serious pest accidentally introduced into Europe. Currently two infested areas are present in Italy and other infestations have occurred in the past in other European countries, while interceptions in entry ports are made yearly by National Plant Protection Organizations of the European Community. A. chinensis is a quarantine invasive pest, and strong measures are applied worldwide to prevent its introduction, spread and to eradicate its populations. The presence of exit holes of adult beetles on infested trees is one of the most important diagnostic signs to detect an A. chinensis infestation. Exit holes are visible on the bark surface of infested trees for several years, but the hole is after that enclosed by the reaction tissue (callus) of the plant; thus, after some years the exit hole is no longer visible. Such injuries produced by beetle activity can be recognised after many years by inspection of the wood after cross-sectioning of the tree. It is possible to date the time of occurrence of the injury using the annual growth ring method for tree age analyses. Surveys conducted on the wooden material collected in the infested site in Rome indicate that the first A. chinensis adult emergences from infested trees of the city occurred in 2002. Since the species takes in the infested site 1 or 2 years for juvenile development, we can speculate that the first introduction of A. chinensis into the city of Rome took place in the years 2000 or 2001

Impiego di semiochimici nel monitoraggio e nel controllo di Tomicus destruens (Woll.) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in Toscana e in Puglia

USE OF SEMIOCHEMICALS TO MONITOR AND CONTROL TOMICUS DESTUENS (WOLL.) (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIIDAE) IN THE REGIONS OF TUSCANY AND APULIA Herein are reported the results of experiments carried out in the coastal pine woods of the Tuscany and Apulia regions to control Tomicus destruens adults with attractive or repellent semiochemicals.(-)- a pinene and Ipm were the most attractive for T. destruens, especially in the coastal pine woods. The Pherotech traps caught more adults than did Theysohn traps, particularly in autumn. The repellents used to protect bait logs had a weak action. Key words: pine forests, monoterpenes, Witasek trap, Pherotech trap, Theysohn trap.  Sono riportati i risultati di prove, con semiochimici a potere attrattivo o repellente, per il controllo degli adulti dello scolitide Tomicus destruens in pinete litoranee e interne della Toscana e della Puglia. Le sostanze più attrattive nei riguardi di T. destruens sono state (-)-a- pinene e Ipm, soprattutto nelle pinete litoranee. Le trappole Pherotech hanno catturato un numero maggiore di adulti rispetto alle Theysohn principalmente in autunno. Le sostanze repellenti impiegate hanno evidenziato scarsa attività di protezione nei riguardi dei tronchetti esca Parole chiave: pinete, monoterpeni, trappola Witasek, trappola Pherotech, trappola Theysohn

Gamasid soil mites (Arachnida Acari) as indicators of the conservation status of forests

The Gamasida of 8 study areas in 5 different Sites of Community Interest (SCI of the Nature 2000 network) of Central Italy, characterized by beech forest and by mixed forests, were investigated to collect information for define the conservation status of the investigated sites. Samples were taken in autumn from the forest ground of the study sites (litter and soil till 7 cm in depth) during the three years of the study. Collected adult specimens were identified at species level and data were used to calculate the following indices: Shannon, Simpson, Eveness and Maturity index. On the whole, in the 8 study sites were recorded 63 species of Gamasida, belonging to 17 families, and some species seems to be a rare component of the fauna. Among study sites, diversity indices ranged from 2.20 to 2.57 for the Shannon index and from 0.82 to 0.90 for the Simpson, while the Maturity index ranged from 0.69 to 0.85; no substantial differences were observed among different study areas

The effects of short-term cold storage on the survival of the endoparasitoid Ooencyrtus pityocampae Mercet (Hymenoptera Encyrtidae).

In the Mediterranean basin the Pine Processionary Moth (PPM), Thaumetopoea pityocampa is often responsi­ble for damaging coniferous stands. The parthenogenetic thelytochous Ooencyrtus pityocampae because of its host location strategy and capacity to develop on alternative hosts plays a key role in the control of PPM. In the context of biological control, storage at low temperatures of parasitoids proved to be effective in improving their mass rearing for field release. Unfortunately, cold storage is often associated with high mortality even above the freezing tempera­ture. Therefore, the present work focused on O. pityocampae juvenile stages submitted to 10-days storage at 15°C and then transferred to 26°C and 30°C until adult hatching. Two different hatching temperatures were used to test the hypothesis whether the speeding of O. pityocampae development could affect its survival and synchronization of emer­gencies. After the treatment, adult emergence percentage, adult emergence time and synchronization of emergencies were evaluated. Results showed that all life stages successfully survived the thermal regime.Nonetheless, pupae because of their high emergence rates and synchronization of adult hatching appeared to be the best stage for short time storage

Effects of Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Heteroptera Coreidae) egg age on the indigenous parasitoid Ooencyrtus pityocampae Mercet (Hymenoptera Encyrtidae)

Leptoglossus occidentalis is a Nearctic polyphagous coreid capable to feed on cones and seeds of many coniferous plants. In Italy this pest threatens pine nut commercial production and represents a serious concern in protected areas where control by chemicals is restricted. For this reason, new strategies of biological control against L. occidentalis are under investigation. Ooencyrtus pityocampae, an indigenous egg parasitoid of the lepidopter Thaumetopoea pityocampae was recently found to parasitize L. occidentalis eggs. However low parasitization rates in the field were reported. Host egg age is often regarded as a key element in determining host acceptance and parasitoid capacity to exploit host eggs. Therefore, in the current work, the effects of host egg age on parasitization O. pityocampae were evaluated by exposing eggs ranging in age from < 24h to within a day of hatching. O. pityocampae. Results showed that number of parasitized eggs and sex ratio were not significantly influenced by the age of the host eggs. In contrast, female development time resulted to be longer in older eggs. O. pityocampae appeared to be not only flexible to adapt to the new host but also cable to efficiently exploit L. occidentalis eggs containing fully developed nymphs

An effective method for Graphosoma lineatum (L.) long-term rearing.

A simple and time-saving technique for an effective and continuous rearing of Graphosoma lineatum (L.) (Heteroptera Pentatomidae), an alternative host for Trissolcus spp. and Ooencyrtus spp. production, was set for entomological research and maintained for a long period. Insects were maintained in containers as rearing units; 100x35x35cm cages hosted adults; 40x30x30cm cages hosted nymphs. Graphosoma lineatum was fed on seeds of Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Anethum graveolens L. and Pimpinella anisum L. Moreover, potted young plants of F. vulgare were also used as additional food source. Water for insects and plants was provided by small automatic irrigation systems. When each colony cage reached the density of 100 adult couples, the number of oviposited batches was followed up for 12 weeks. Batches laid per cage were approximately one hundred per week. Therefore the overall weekly production of six adult cages was about 8400 eggs. This technique was plain and cost effective, allowing a constant egg production throughout the year.

SEARCHING FOR NATIVE EGG-PARASITOIDS OF THE INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES HALYOMORPHA HALYS STÅL (HETEROPTERA PENTATOMIDAE) IN SOUTHERN EUROPE

Halyomorpha halys is an invasive species, originating from East Asia, which was accidentally introduced in some areas of North America and Europe, where severe damages to different vegetable crops and fruit plants were recorded. Several studies in different countries focused on the possibility to apply biological control by means of egg- parasitoids. The main egg-parasitoids in the original area are unfortunately non-specific and thus the application of classical biological control is questionable. On the other hand, the possibility of using augmentative biological control by native egg-parasitoids able to exploit the new host is an interesting possibility in both Europe and the USA. In a preliminary assay, frozen egg masses of H. halys were exposed in the field in Central Italy. Results showed that some eggs were exploited by parasitoids belonging to the species Anastatus bifasciatus and Ooencyrtus telenomicida. Therefore, different native egg-parasitoids species widespread in Europe were tested in the laboratory in order to explore their ability to parasitize H. halys eggs. To this end, no-choice tests were carried out in climatic chambers (26°C, 70%RH, 16:8 L:D) in order to evaluate the parasitization potential of females collected in the wild. Conducted tests pointed out that A. bifasciatus and especially O. telenomicida may be potential candidates for the biological control of H. halys. In particular, O. telenomicida was able to parasitize the 35.56% of the exposed host eggs in the lab tests. New adults successfully emerged from the 22.92% of the eggs, and on the whole, this egg-parasitoid caused a significant hatching reduction of the H. halys eggs (more than 70%). Conversely, Telenomus chloropus and Ooencyrtus pityocampae were less promising species as biocontrol agents of this agricultural pest. Preliminary trials in pear orchards consisting of field releases of laboratory-reared specimens of O. telenomicida, one of the potential candidates for biological control, showed that this parasitoid is actually able to discover egg masses of H. halys (sentinel frozen egg masses) and to successfully parasitize them

A new aphid subspecies on the endemic Cyprus cedar Cedrus brevifolia: Cinara cedri brevifoliae ssp.n. (Aphididae Lachninae)

A subspecies of Cinara cedri Mimeur, C. cedri brevifoliae ssp.n., is described from apterous viviparous females. The authors report on the discovery of this new taxon in Cyprus on the endemic cedar Cedrus brevifolia (Hooker fil.) Henry, suggesting that the aphid is co-endemic with its host conifer. Morphological evaluation is provided in order to support this conclusion and a key to separate the Cedar Cinara species is given. Moreover, new insights on the distribution of C. cedri in the Mediterranean area were gained by molecular analysis. Gene sequences were deposited in Genbank and the type specimens located in the collection (A.B.) of CREA-Research Center for Agrobiology and Pedology, Florence, Italy

Phenotypic plasticity in an egg parasitoid affects olfactory response to odors from the plant–host complex

Female egg parasitoids must optimize their ability to find a suitable host for reproduction in a limited foraging time. Odorant cues associated with the plant–host complex play an essential role in guiding females toward the host. However, parasitoid response is not always identical within the same genotype, and it could be influenced by the environment. This phenotypic plasticity affects parasitoid behavior and morphology and is directly linked to rearing conditions. Yet, how plasticity influences olfactory responses of egg parasitoids toward plant–host odors is largely unexplored. Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is an effective biocontrol agent of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Laboratory no-choice and choice tests showed T. japonicus potential to develop in eggs of non-target Pentatomidae. In Y-tube olfactometer we evaluated the olfactory responses of T. japonicus reared on different hosts toward plant–host derived volatiles associated with H. halys and two other stink bug species. Parasitoids reared on the main host H. halys positively responded only to odors from V. faba–H. halys complex. When reared on alternative hosts, T. japonicus was smaller and did not exhibit attraction to any stimuli, although egg load was only partially affected. Host-induced phenotypic plasticity should be considered when evaluating parasitoids for classical biological control