Diversity of true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) on common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) in southern Slovakia

Abstract

Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia Linnaeus 1800) is an exceptional invasive species. Information on true bugs occurring on ragweed plants is limited in the invasion region. The objective of this study was to determine the species composition of Heteroptera associated with A. artemisiifolia, assess their vectoring potential based on a literature review, and compare species similarity on the surveyed fields. Field surveys were conducted in 2020–2021 at 10 sites in southern Slovakia. Sweeping and visual observations were conducted in field margins, weedy agricultural fields, and mowed meadows infested with A. artemisiifolia. As part of the study, food specialization, abundance of each species, and their assignment to families were determined in detail. The Jaccard similarity index was used to evaluate the similarity of species composition among the sites studied. A total of 2,492 true bugs were recorded, representing 47 species of Heteroptera from 12 families. The most common phytophagous species were Nysius ericae ericae (Schilling 1829) (Pentatomomorpha, Lygaeidae), Adelphocoris lineolatus (Goeze 1778), Lygus rugulipennis (Poppius 1911), Lygus pratensis (Linnaeus 1758) (Cimicomorpha, Miridae), and a zoophagous species Nabis (Dolichonabis) limbatus (Dahlbom 1851) (Cimicomorpha, Nabidae). The similarity of species in paired localities was low, with highly migratory and polyphagous species dominating, able to cross the field from the adjacent landscape. A. artemisiifolia is a known host for plant viruses and phytoplasmas, and several Heteroptera species are carriers of these plant pathogens. Halyomorpha halys was the only detected carrier of phytoplasmas, and its abundance on A. artemisiifolia was extremely low.