After the first record in 2008 in Southeast Italy, the alien invasive and quarantine pest Aleurocanthus spiniferus (orange spiny whitefly—OSW) has gradually spread throughout Europe, infesting several new host plants in addition to the known hosts. Molecular characterization of some Italian populations and a newly found Albanian population highlighted two different haplotypes invading Europe, belonging to one of the haplogroups previously recorded in China. A predator was recorded for the first time in several fields in Italy in association with OSW and other whitefly species. It was successively identified through a morpho-molecular characterization as a Nearctic member of the tribe Serangiini, the ladybird beetle, Delphastus catalinae. This predator represents a promising biocontrol agent to manage A. spiniferus outbreaks in Italy and other invaded countries.
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Alien insects usually adapt their phenology and their needs to the environment into which they are introduced. During 2010, the red gum lerp psyllid, Glycaspis brimblecombei, was accidentally introduced into Italy, becoming an invasive pest of Eucalyptus L'Hér. Eucalypts are very common in Italy as ornamental and forest species. The seasonal adaptation of the psyllid was studied at three field sites. G. brimblecombei showed a seasonal population dynamic, suggesting that many generations occur during the year and the species overwinters in all stages without diapause. The population size in the new area of colonization is affected by low winter temperatures, but also by high temperatures in the absence of rainfall. In Lazio, the specific parasitoid Psyllaephagus bliteus was collected for the first time.
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