Further Spread of Corythucha arcuata (Hemiptera; Tingidae) in Croatia

Abstract

Corythucha arcuata (Hemiptera; Tingidae), i.e. oak bug is an invasive alien species from North America that has rapidly spread in Europe. It was first reported in Croatia in 2013, and in the following years it has spread rapidly toward the west of the continental part of the country, infesting 200,000 ha of Quercus robur L. forest stands. Oak lace bug causes losses in chlorophyll, which has a negative influence on photosynthesis and transpiration activity, as well as on the health status of oak trees. We conducted our study on two sites in the Mediterranean region in Istria, Croatia, where infestation with oak lace bug has not been recorded. Results showed new records of oak lace bug in Istria. Q. pubescens Willd. is the dominant tree species in Sub-Mediterranean forests in Istria, so it will be interesting to follow the spread and preferences of oak lace bug for Q. robur and Q. pubescens in Istria, as well as in other coastal Q. pubescens and Q. ilex L. forests in Croatia. We assume that the negative influence of oak lace bug coupled with other biotic and abiotic stressors in the Mediterranean region will probably have some influence on the health status of oak trees.