First records of the potential pest species Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Europe

Abstract

Drosophila suzukii ovoposits and feeds on healthy fruits, unlike most other Drosophila species. It has been traditionally reported from Asia, but in the last 2 years it has been recorded from North America, where it is causing a lot of agricultural damage. Herein we report the first records of, D. suzukii in Europe. It has been found in different localities expanding an altitudinal range from 27 to 1550 m above sea level (ab.s.l). Furthermore by comparing collections of drosophilids from different European populations distributed along a latitudinal cline we were able to determine its high dispersal ability since it spread approximately 1400 km in 1 year either actively or passively through infested fruits. The similarities of the introduction dates in North America and Europe and the COI haplotypes suggest that the two invasions could be related. No considerable damage on crops has been reported yet in Europe. However, if this species gets established in more temperate localities it could become a serious pest. Therefore tracking the invasion of this species is recommended. An early detection of this potential pest is decisive for good management of the fields.

Genomic and peptidomic analyses of the neuropeptides from the emerging pest, Drosophila suzukii

“…Myosuppressin (TDVDHVFLRFamide) was also identified by its monoisotopic mass (1247.6) and the monoisotopic mass 1430.7 is in agreement with pyrokinin (PK) 1 [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] (GPSASSGLWFGPRLamide). Additional mass ions present did not correspond to the masses of any predicted peptide shown in Table 1, and remain unassigned.…”

“…All three peptides were detected in HPLC fractions of D. suzukii brain extracts ( Figure 2) and their sequences were confirmed by fragmentation of their parent ions. In addition, a mass ion corresponding to PK1 [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] was also detected and sequenced (Table 1). …”

“…It is a highly polyphagous invasive pest which has been recently introduced into Europe and North America, where it is commonly known as the spotted winged Drosophila [14].…”

The economic impact of invasive pest Drosophila suzukii on berry production in the Province of Trento, Italy

“…Since its detection in 2008 in California [1] and Spain [2], it has become established in North America and in many European countries. Differently from most other Drosophila, D. suzukii lays eggs and feeds on unblemished ripening fruit of many plant species.…”

Die Landwirtschaftliche Forschung im Obstbau Südtirols

“…Die Kirschessigfliege (Drosophila suzukii) war ursprüng-lich im südost-asiatischen raum beheimatet und ist ein 2010 in Südtirol neu aufgetretener Schadorganismus, der alle weichfleischigen Obstarten befällt (beeren, Kirschen, trauben) (baufeld 2011;Calabria et al 2012;Cini et al 2012). auf grund der kurzen generationsdauer und der Möglichkeit, je nach temperatur-bedingungen, 7-15 generationen pro Jahr zu bilden, wie auch auf grund der stark ausgeprägten Hitze-und Kältetoleranz der adulten und der breiten Früchtepalette, die befallen werden, hat dieser Schädling ein enormes Schadpotential und Schadrisiko (Cini et al 2012).…”