Insect pests of eucalyptus plantations in Sardinia (Italy)

In Sardinia (Italy), Eucalyptus plantations cover approximately 23,000 hectares, above all in the southern part of the island. There is a complex of phytophagous insect pests that is threatening the health status of Eucalyptus trees. The most recent invasions include the sap-suckers, Glycaspis brimblecombei, Blastopsylla occidentalis, and the bronze bug, Thaumastocoris peregrinus. Other pest species have also been reported, including the gall wasps, Ophelimus maskelli and Leptocybe invasa, the longhorn beetles, Phoracantha semipunctata and P. recurva, and the weevils, Gonipterus scutellatus and Polydrusus (= Metallites) parallelus. Defoliation caused by the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, have also been frequently observed in various Eucalyptus-planted areas of Sardinia.