Problematiche entomologiche dell'eucalipto in Sardegna e monitoraggio del fitofago di nuova introduzione Psilla lerp (Glycaspis brimblecombei)

Following the recent accidental introduction of the lerp psyllidGlycaspis brimblecombei(Moore) in Sardinia, entomological investigations on Eucalyptus were conducted during 2011-14. Field monitoring focused on the lerp psyllidG. brimblecombei(Moore), its specific parasitoidPsyllaephagus bliteus(Riek) and other phytophagous species like the Eucalyptus gall waspsOphelimus maskelli(Ashmead) andLeptocybe invasa(Fisher and La Salle), employing yellow sticky traps to collect adults, and foliar sampling to detect preimaginal and parasitized stages of the psyllid and to assess the number of wasp galls.G. brimblecombeiis currently the main pest of Eucalyptus in Sardinia where it reaches very high infestation levels (1070 adults/trap/month).P. bliteusdensity showed a bimodal trend, with the highest parasitism rates recorded in May (17%) and September (52%). The maximum number ofO. maskelliigalls per leaf were detected in April (78) while the minimum in July (7). In the case ofL. invasa, instead, the greatest percentage of affected leaves per branch was recorded in September (17%) while the lowest in July (3%).Among other phytophagous species,Blastopsylla occidentalis,Polydrusus (Metallites) parallelus,Gonipterussp., andPhoracanthaspp. were also detected.In addition, the impact of the red gum psyllid on the honey production during the flowering period (June-July) in 2014, was evaluated in preliminary observations including also other wild pollinators.