First record of Halyomorpha halys and mass occurrence of Nezara viridula in Slovakia

Abstract

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys Stal, 1855 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), is recorded from Slovakia for the first time based on a 5th instar larva collected in the town of Štúrovo, Slovakia. The current distribution, economic importance and biology of the species are briefly reviewed. During the visit to Štúrovo, a mass occurrence of adults and larvae of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pentatomidae), so far captured in Slovakia in 2014 only as a single specimen, was also observed. This observation confirms the presence of N. viridula as an established species in southern Slovakia. Both species are important pests to a large number of crops (vegetables, fruit trees, decorative plants, etc.) and can cause considerable economic losses.