CREA Journals (Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria)
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Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera Tortricidae) intercepted for the first time in Italy
Get PDFIn June 2014, Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera Tortricidae) was found during the inspection of the Italian Phytosanitary Service of Tuscany Region in the port of Leghorn, in a container from South Africa containing Navel oranges. The degree of damage is high, reaching the 2% of the harvested fruits. This is the first interception of this polyphagous pest for Italy
New findings in Italy of the recently introduced alien psyllid Macrohomotoma gladiata and additional distributional records of Acizzia jamatonica and Cacopsylla fulguralis (Hemiptera Psylloidea)
Get PDFThe distribution in Italy is updated and new regional collecting data are reported of the exotic psyllids Macrohomotoma gladiata Kuwayama (Psylloidea, Homotomidae), Acizzia jamatonica (Kuwayama) and Cacopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama) (Psylloidea, Psyllidae), all of them native to Asia and recorded in Italy during recent times. In particular, M. gladiata is a serious pest of Ficus microcarpa L. f. (Moraceae), one of the most frequently cultivated ornamental trees in southern Europe. The psyllid was reported for the first time in Europe in 2009, from Spain, and in 2012 it was recorded in Italy, based on its findings on ornamental F. microcarpa trees in Naples town centre. Data here reported on its outbreak presence in many localities in Sicily indicate a dangerous spread over Italy of this noxious psyllid pest
Nenteria extremica n. sp., a new Uropodina mites (Acari Mesostigmata) collected on Rhynchophorus ferrugineus in Italy, with notes on other Uropodina mites associated with the Red Palm Weevil
Get PDFA new species of Uropodina mite was collected on the body and on the cocoons of the Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) in Italy. The new species (Nenteria extremica n. sp.) belongs to the genus Nenteria, but it differs from the other species in appendages of the gnathosoma, which are unique within this genus. The new species is described on the basis of females, males and nymphs. Some notes on the association of Uropodina with the Red Palm Weevils are given. Aegyptus rynchophorus Elbishlawi & Allam, 2007 and Aegypthus alhassa Al-Dhafar & Al-Qahtani 2011 are junior synonyms of Centrouropoda almerodai Hiramatsu & Hirschmann, 1992
Carpomya vesuviana A. Costa (Diptera Tephritidae Trypetinae Carpomyini) from jujube tree in Emilia-Romagna (Northern Italy)
Get PDFThe presence of Carpomya vesuviana (Diptera Tephritidae) on fruit of jujube tree (Ziziphus jujuba) in Emilia- Romagna (Northern Italy) is reported. Some aspects of the biology of the species are described. Differently from southern regions, where C. vesuviana is polivoltine, in Emilia-Romagna only one generation per year occurs.
The true identity of the Red Palm Weevil associated Uropodina mite, Centrouropoda almerodai Hiramatsu & Hirschmann, 1992
Get PDFSeveral adults, deutonymphs, protonymphs and larvae of Centrouropoda almerodai Hiramatsu & Hirschmann, 1992 were collected in Italy on the adults, pupae and cocoons of the Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790). New descriptions and illustrations for the female, male, deutonymph, protonymph and larva are presented
Ants (Hymenoptera Formicidae) and the food industry: observations in factory premises in central Italy
Get PDFResearch on ants (Hymenoptera Formicidae) in a food factory in the province of Latina (Lazio, central Italy) was carried out over several years up to 2013. The investigation started during the 1990s, and was conducted principally by examining specimens caught in light traps placed indoors on the factory premises. A smaller number of ants was collected directly during periodical inspections. The present work focuses on the observations made on specimens collected during 2007 and 2008 using light traps. Besides some ant genera and species which are well known as being typical pests of the food industry, some other more unusual and sporadic species were found. Among these latter, females of the ponerine ant Hypoponera punctatissima were sometimes collected in dozens or hundreds during single weeks of sampling using light traps. Many specimens of Pheidole pallidula (males, females, workers and soldiers) and Lasius spp. (males) were also collected using traps. H. eduardi, Cremastogaster scutellaris, Solenopsis fugax and Linepithema humile were scarce or extremely scarce in the traps, as were species of Myrmica, Aphaenogaster, Messor, Tetramorium, and Camponotus. The causes of their presence in the food factory may differ according to genera and species, and deserve to be studied in depth
Post-release habitats’ selection of Capreolus capreolus italicus (Festa, 1925) in a protected area in southern Italy
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to analyze the post-release behavior of individuals of Capreolus capreolus italicus (Festa 1925) and to evaluate the influence of environmental and vegetation characteristics on habitat selection by monitored animals. With these aims, 14 individuals of roe deer (a sample of 75 animals released in total), differentiated by age and sex, were caught in areas of southern Tuscany (central Italy) and released in suitable areas of the Aspromonte National Park (Calabria, southern Italy). Each animal was monitored by GPS-GSM tracking radio collar (Vectronics ®) with frequency of location ranging from 30 minutes (in the first month) to 6 hours (later), and covering a period ranging from 90 to 563 days. Each fix, reported in a GIS environment, was analyzed to get information on habitat selection performed by tracked animals. Data collection implemented forest area, herbaceous resources characterization and the evaluation of possible visual refuge offered to the animals by the environment, to assess the effect of these attributes on the selection of grounds. Results showed that the choice of a particular habitat is highly correlated with forests’ characteristics, the areas covered by conifers and with height of crown insertion between 1 and 2 m, generally with absence of regeneration, being clearly preferred. Most attended herbaceous areas are those with a high presence of grasses and with a high pastoral value. Visual refuge affects also remarkably the selection of habitats by animals. The study showed that the observed parameters can provide a good basis for the validation of the model used for the feasibility study and to identify the optimal characteristics of the areas for future releases
Additional notes on the aphid fauna of the Emilia Romagna region in Italy
Get PDFThe aphid fauna of the Emilia Romagna region in the northeastern part of the Italian peninsula is composed of 408 known aphid taxa at the specific or subspecific taxonomic levels. Data on field collections are presented for each listed taxon, and available relevant regional literature is cited. Of the 408 taxa, 323 appeared in our checklist published in 2011, and 85 additional species (List A) are presented here. Further collection data for 130 of the species in the published checklist (List B) are also included
Insect fauna of canola and phenology of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera Plutellidae) as a key pest
Get PDFCanola or oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) is one of the most important crops worldwide as a main source of edible vegetable oil. A field study of the insect fauna and the phenology of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. in canola was conducted during the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 growing seasons. The study was carried out at the Experimental farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia. A total of 31 insect species were recorded from the crop (13 pest species, 9 natural enemy species and 9 insect pollinators). Diamondback moth and cabbage aphid were the dominant pests, lady beetles and hoverflies were the most abundant natural enemies and honeybees were the dominant pollinators. The phenology, infestation rate and parasitism of P. xylostella were determined for the two growing seasons. In 2012/2013, the peak population (14.5 larvae or pupae/plant) was recorded in the eleventh week when temperatures ranged from 8.8 to 18.2 °C with relative humidity of 70%, while in the 2013/2014 season the peak population (8.3 larvae or pupae/plant) was recorded in the twelfth week when temperatures ranged from 8.2 to 20.0 °C with relative humidity of 70%. The infestation levels of Plutella xylostella ranged from 20 to 80% during the 2012/2013 season, while in the 2013/ 2014 season infestation levels ranged from 10 to 50%. Percent parasitism showed more at least two peaks in each growing seasons. Peaks were 44.5 and 31.2% in 2012/2013 season and 30.2, 32.6 and 25.9% in 2013/2014 season
A new exception to the dominance-discovery trade-off rule in ant communities
Get PDFInterspecific competition is one of the main factor shaping ant community structure. The “dominance-discovery trade-off’’, an inverse relationship between interference and exploitative competitive ability, is thought to be a fundamental mechanism facilitating coexistence of ants. Despite its widely acceptance in literature, this trade-off appears to be broken in several cases and needs further investigations. Thus, the aim of the present study was to detect the presence/absence of the dominance-discovery trade-off in Mediterranean ant communities. Samplings were conducted inside the Presidential Estate of Castelporziano (Rome, Italy) and seven sampling sites were selected according to their vegetation structure. In each site, baiting was conducted to assess two behavioural indices for each species: the monopolization index and the discovery ability index. Correlation analyses showed no evidence for the existence of a dominance-discovery trade-off. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the two indices was detected in some of the sampling sites. The dominance-discovery trade-off seems therefore to be just one of the possible mechanisms facilitating species coexistence in ant communities