Geographical Distribution of Three Forest Invasive Beetle Species in Romania

• Published in: Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13; no. 7; p. 621
• Main Authors: Olenici, Nicolai, Duduman, Mihai-Leonard, Popa, Ionel, Isaia, Gabriela, Paraschiv, Marius
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 12.07.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: 19th century; Altitude; Attractants; Bark; Beech; Beetles; Climate change; Current distribution; Distribution; Fagus; Forests; Fraxinus excelsior; Geographical distribution; Identification and classification; Insects; Interception; International trade; Introduced species; Invasive insects; Invasive species; Ips; Ips duplicatus; Neoclytus acuminatus; New records; Pest outbreaks; Pests; Picea abies; Pine trees; Quercus; Reproduction (copying); Romania; Surveys; Traps; Trees; Xylosandrus germanus; Romania; United Kingdom > UK; Hungary; Europe; Japan; Ukraine; Switzerland; Russia; Sweden; Czech Republic; Austria; Belgium; Norway; Poland; Italy; Slovenia; Slovakia; France; Germany; Croatia
• ISSN: 2075-4450; 2075-4450
• DOI: 10.3390/insects13070621

Ips duplicatus (Sahlberg, 1836), Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford, 1894) and Neoclytus acuminatus (Fabricius, 1775) are invasive species reported in Romania, but their current distribution is poorly known. The research aim was to provide new information on this issue. A survey was conducted over the period 2015–2017 in 82 locations, using flight-interception traps and bottle traps, baited with different attractants. Data obtained in our other unpublished studies were also taken into account. A total of 35,136 I. duplicatus beetles were collected in 30 survey locations. The highest captures were in the log yards of some factories processing logs of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.). Considering all known records so far, most of these are in the eastern part of Romania, where an outbreak took place during the years 2005–2014, mainly in spruce stands growing outside their natural range. During the survey, 4259 specimens of X. germanus were collected in 35 locations, but in our other studies the species was found in 13 additional places. It was collected at altitudes of 18–1200 m, and the largest catches were from beech stands, growing at 450–950 m. N. acuminatus was found in only six locations, in the western and southern parts of the country, at low altitudes, in tree stands composed of Fraxinus excelsior L., Quercus spp. and other broadleaf species, as well as in broadleaf log yards. The results suggest that I. duplicatus is established in most parts of the Norway spruce’s range, X. germanus is still spreading in the country, with some areas having quite high populations, while N. acuminatus is present only in the warmest regions of the country.