Glycaspis brimblecombei (Hem.: Psyllidae), the invasive red gum lerp psyllid recorded in Italy

Abstract

During 2010 in central and southern Italy (Campania, Basilicata and Latium), the invasive red gum lerp psyllid, Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), has been recorder for the first time in Italy. The psyllid was detected on Eucalyptus camaldulensis in several sampling sites. The host plant, like other species of the genus Eucalyptus, is very common in Italy as ornamental and forest species. The native country of G. brimblecombei is Australia, from which the psyllid spread throughout the world in the last decade. In the Palaearctic Region the species was first collected from the Iberian Peninsula in 2007. In this note we report some observations on the biology and distribution of this species in the new colonized Italian areas. Generalist predators, such as wasps and pirate bugs, were observed attacking G. brimblecombei, however no parasitoid activity has been detected.

Keywords

• Lerp psyllid
• Italy
• Eucalyptus
• Invasive species