First report of Eulachnus tuberculostemmatus (Theobald, 1915) on Pinus nigra subsp. mauretanica stands in Algeria

Abstract

Pinus nigra (black pine) is a Mediterranean taxonomic complex (including different subspecies), with a discontinuous distribution. The southernmost part of its range is in North Africa, in Morocco and Algeria, where it is present as P. nigra subsp. mauretanica. Currently, an extremely limited number of trees of this subspecies still persist within its natural range, giving this taxon an outstanding ecological importance. These residual stands are threatened by many biotic and abiotic factors, putting at risk the survival of this subspecies in its natural habitat. This paper reports for the first time the presence of Eulachnus tuberculostemmatus (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Lachninae) in Algeria, and its infestation on P. nigra subsp. mauretanica. This insect was detected in three sites of the Djurdjura National Park in May 2012 and identified in February 2016. The aphid seems to be responsible for needle discoloration and premature senescence, symptoms observed since spring 2008 on the infested pines. These clusters of P. nigra subsp. mauretanica trees are protected by park regulations, and given their conservation status further investigations into this pest species, and other biotic and abiotic factors that may threaten this important tree, are required.

The biology and ecology of pine aphid, Eulachnus tuberculostemmatus (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its demographic responses to environmental changes

“…and subsequently observed in the Middle East (Pintera, 1968; Tremblay & Micieli de Biase, 1970), the Canary Islands (Nieto Nafría, 1972), mainland Spain (Nieto Nafría, 1975), Italy (Binazzi, 1983) and Turkey (Toros et al ., 2002). This species has been present in China, since the 2000s (Qiao et al ., 2002), and was also detected in Greece (Kavallieratos et al ., 2007), Malta (Mifsud et al ., 2011) and recently in Tajikistan (Kanturski et al ., 2015), Algeria (Hedjam et al ., 2017), Russia and Crimea (Kanturski et al ., 2017). There is little information on the biology and population dynamics of E. tuberculostemmatus and factors that influence them.…”

Eulachnus tuberculostemmatus (Lachninae: Eulachnini) sur pin d'Alep: premier signalement en Tunisie

“…Récemment, en 2012, E. tuberculostemmatus a été signalé en Algérie sur Pinus nigra subsp. mauretanica (Hedjam et al ., ). Le statut d'espèce de ce taxon a été validé par Kanturski et al .…”