Metcalfa pruinosa SAY 1830 (HOMOPTERA: FLATIDAE), AN ESTABLISHED ALIEN SPECIES IN CONTINUOUS EXPANSION IN ROMANIA

Abstract

The citrus flatid planthopper, Metcalfa pruinosa Say, 1830 (Homoptera: Flatidae) is a native planthopper originating on eastern North America. On the European continent it entered in 1979, is first mentioned in the northern part of Italy, after which it spread in most of European countries. The pest was reported in Romania by Preda and Skolka, in 2009, in the eastern part of the country, and in the next years was signaled both in the west and in the south of the country. This pest can be considered a slow expanding species, adapting easily from one area to another. Currently is encountered in parks and green areas, fruit and wine plantations, herbaceous plants and herbaceous species, almost everywhere in Romania. The current paper presents the findings of one recent survey in Didactic Farm Moara Domneasca, with emphasis on the pest host plant spectrum.