Alien invasive species not only have adverse environmental impacts, they may also pose socioeconomic and human health threats. The increase in detected non-native (alien) and cryptogenic species, followed by the necessity for up-to-date scientific information on biological invasions, prompted a thorough literature investigation on the non-native entomofauna of Greece. Supplementing previous studies concerning Europe and Greece, a checklist for the non-native insect species of the country is provided, while their number is elevated from 266 to 469. Current trends regarding species richness and taxonomy, deliberate or accidental means of introduction, as well as their native range and trophic preferences are analysed and discussed. This publication illustrates the current state of non-native insects of Greece, highlighting the need for an effective early warning system integrated in national phytosanitary legislation, survey protocols and strategies towards the eradication and mitigation of their detrimental impacts.

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The Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) is a pteropodid species with a large part of its range in the Palearctic region. It has a quite discontinuous range from sub-Saharan Africa to NW India, including SW Turkey. In this note we present the first record of the Egyptian fruit bat in Greek territory, observed during a zoological expedition on the island of Kastellorizo (Dodecanese, Greece). At least three specimens were observed foraging a white mulberry in the town of Megisti on May 4 2017, but no individual was spotted during a summer expedition in August 2017.

The relatively small order Dermaptera (commonly called “earwigs”) is comprised of more than 1900 described species mainly distributed in the Afrotropics, Southeastern Asia and South America, while a small number of species occur in the warmer temperate regions of North America, Europe, Asia and Australia (Hudson 1973; Popham 2000; Haas et al. 2011). In the Balkans and Turkey, this insect order is understudied and knowledge about the distribution and ecology of the earwig fauna is scattered (Haas & Henderickx 2002; Anlaş et al. 2010; Anlaş & Kočárek 2012; Muranyi 2013; Haas 2015). In Greece 16 species have been recorded so far (Haas 2015, 2018), showing greater diversity than other countries in the Balkans (Muranyi 2013). From the poorly studied North Aegean Islands, four earwig species are reported (Haas 2015), namely Anisolabis maritima (Bonelli, 1832), Forficula auricularia Linnaeus, 1758, F. lurida Fischer, 1853 and Labidura riparia (Pallas, 1773).

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The feather-legged fly, Trichopoda pennipes (Fabricius, 1781), is a parasitoid species introduced in several European countries over the last decades. This study provides new records for the presence of the tachinid in Mediterranean and Black Sea coastal areas. Four individuals were observed by the authors in Greece and Cyprus (2015-2019) and 11 additional records of the fly in Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Russia, and Turkey (2011-2019) were obtained from citizen science platforms. We provide the first records of the species on the aforementioned countries, contributing in the expansion of the current distribution range of the species. Current and future hypothetical expansion scenarios, as well as potential ecological implications are presented and discussed.

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Native to E. Asia, the box tree moth Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) has managed to establish itself, and gradually expand its distribution, across Europe, Asia and recently America. This publication documents the first known record of the invasive species in Africa. The moth was observed in Constantine, Algeria in 2018 and was later identified as C. perspectalis. Possible scenarios of its introduction on the continent, as well as potential ecological implications, are discussed.