Scent of Jasmine Attracts Alien Invaders and Records on Citizen Science Platforms: Multiple Introductions of the Invasive Lacebug <i>Corythauma ayyari</i> (Drake, 1933) (Heteroptera: Tingidae) in Italy and the Mediterranean Basin
Giuseppe Mazza,
Luca Nerva,
Agostino Strangi,
Emiliano Mori,
Walter Chitarra,
Attilio Carapezza,
Maurizio Mei,
Leonardo Marianelli,
Pio F. Roversi,
Alessandro Campanaro,
Fabio Cianferoni
Affiliations
Giuseppe Mazza
Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA-DC), Via di Lanciola 12/a, Cascine del Riccio, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Luca Nerva
Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IPSP), Strada delle Cacce 73, 10125 Torino, Italy
Agostino Strangi
Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA-DC), Via di Lanciola 12/a, Cascine del Riccio, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Emiliano Mori
Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRET), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Firenze), Italy
Walter Chitarra
Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IPSP), Strada delle Cacce 73, 10125 Torino, Italy
Attilio Carapezza
University of Palermo, Via Sandro Botticelli 15, 90144 Palermo, Italy
Maurizio Mei
Entomology, Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Valerio Massimo 6, 00142 Roma, Italy
Leonardo Marianelli
Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA-DC), Via di Lanciola 12/a, Cascine del Riccio, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Pio F. Roversi
Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA-DC), Via di Lanciola 12/a, Cascine del Riccio, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Alessandro Campanaro
Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA-DC), Via di Lanciola 12/a, Cascine del Riccio, 50125 Firenze, Italy
Fabio Cianferoni
Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRET), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Firenze), Italy
The jasmine lacebug Corythauma ayyari is a pest of cultivated and ornamental plants mainly associated to Jasminum spp. This invasive insect is native to Asia, and it has been recently introduced in several countries, mainly within the Mediterranean basin. Here, we updated the known distribution of this species, including five new Italian regions (Liguria, Tuscany, Latium, Apulia, and Calabria); Salamis Island in Greece, and the Occitanie region in France. Citizen-science data have significantly contributed to the knowledge on species distribution, and the online platform for sharing biodiversity information can represent an effective tool for the early detection. Molecular analyses revealed that the specimens collected in Peninsular Italy and Sicily belong to a unique clade, suggesting the possibility of a single introduction, whereas those from Menton (France) and Calabria (Southern Italy) are separated from the others and probably originate from separated introductions.
