New records of Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Hemiptera: Coreidae) in Argentine Patagonia

New records of Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann from Andean region is given, becoming the first occurrence within the province of Chubut. The specimens were collected in different environments of urban and periurban areas -both domiciliary and peridomiciliary-, from Esquel, Trevelin and Aldea Escolar. This report extends its southern distribution area to the parallel 43°S.

Insecta non gratae: New Distribution Records of Eight Alien Bug (Hemiptera) Species in Turkey with Contributions of Citizen Science

This study is prepared to provide an example for the utility of citizen science in faunistic research, which is becoming popular as a data source, especially for invasive alien species. With the globalization tendency of many living species by human impact, alien species rapidly spread far from their natural distribution range and become invasive in their newly settled ecosystems. Some of these invasive alien species become one of the most important problems for nature. This study focuses on distribution of following eight alien Hemiptera species that have previously been recorded from Turkey: Zelus renardii (Reduviidae), Corythucha arcuata and Corythucha ciliata (Tingidae), Leptoglossus occidentalis (Coreidae), Perillus bioculatus and Halyomorpha halys (Pentatomidae), Stictocephala bisonia (Membracidae) and Metcalfa pruinosa (Flatidae). New distributional and seasonality data for all these species are presented based on observations shared by citizen scientists in the websites Doğalhayat and iNaturalist. New provincial records for each species are given. As a result, it is apparent that citizen science is an important data source, supplies remarkable contribution for increasing the understanding on expansion of invasive alien species as well as providing clear picture on their distribution.

First report of the western conifer seed bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, 1910 (Hemiptera, Coreidae) in Paraguay

The Western conifer seed bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, 1910, native to western North America and in ongoing worldwide expansion, is recorded from Paraguay for the first time.

“What’s This Bug?” Questions from the Public Provide Relevant Information on Species Distribution and Human–Insect Interactions

In general, insects and arthropods polarizing: they either fascinate people, disgust people, or both, and they generate lots of questions. Museums are perceived as reliable sources of information and, as such, a go-to destination for the public to receive answers. Since its opening in 1990, the Montreal Insectarium has offered an entomological information service, allowing the public to send questions, photographs, and specimens for identification. All requests are answered by entomologists. Spatiotemporal variations in taxonomic, geographic, and thematic profiles of the 4163 requests received in 2010–2011 and 2017–2018 were analyzed. Requests came from 35 countries, and most of those requests came from Canada. The majority of requests were identification requests. Representing 25% of identification requests, the five most frequent species were the eastern dobsonfly Corydalus cornutus, the masked hunter Reduvius personatus, the giant water bug Lethocerus americanus, the western conifer-seed bug Leptoglossus occidentalis, and the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica. A comparison with the data from the citizen science platform iNaturalist shows that the EIS can be a valuable tool for invasive species detection. Frequent subjects included school projects, entomophagy (eating insects), and wasp and bee nests. Finally, we discuss the role of entomologists in providing scientific information but also in addressing common concerns regarding cohabitation with arthropods.

Invasion Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, 1910 (Heteroptera: Coreidae) in the conditions of Voronezh (Russia)

The article presents new data on the distribution and acclimatization of an alien species of the American coniferous bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, 1910) from the European part of Russia. This bug was discovered in the autumn of 2019 on the territory of the city of Voronezh in the Arboretum of the Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies. Currently, L. occidentalis spreads on the territory of Russia only in an urban environment, where it finds optimal environmental conditions (suitable temperature, humidity and shelter for winter locations). Surveys of a number of park and forest park zones, squares and separately growing coniferous trees conducted in 2019-2020 in Voronezh did not reveal the presence of this species. At the moment, in the conditions of the Voronezh region, the center of the spread of this bug is located only in the Arboretum of the Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies. In 2020, an increase in the number of the identified group of L. occidentalis was recorded. Further spread of the bug is predicted on the territory of Voronezh. At the moment, no danger to conifers in the European part of Russia from L. occidentalis has been identified and is not yet expected, but constant monitoring of the detected group is required.

Potential Factors behind the Decline of Pinus pinea Nut Production in Mediterranean Pine Forests

Mediterranean stone pine nut is appreciated for its high economic and nutritional value. Starting in 2012, Pinus pinea nut production declined throughout the Mediterranean area. The dry cone syndrome associated with this decline and the introduction of Leptoglossus occidentalis occurred simultaneously. This study aims to evaluate potential reasons behind the decline in pine nut production in Lebanon, considering climatic factors and the invasion of L. occidentalis. Correlation analysis was used to examine a potential relationship between cone yield and the percentage of damaged seeds per cone. Climatic variables were also tested. Two time periods were considered for analysis: before and after 2012. Cone production and the percentage of damaged seeds were negatively correlated (r = −0.42). From 2012 to 2017, cone production declined by 50% and the percentage of damaged seeds increased on average from 3% in 2012 up to 60% in 2017. Correlations were detected between cone production and the temperature of the hottest three months of the year of harvesting, and between cone production and average temperatures during the year of cone initiation. A conjunction of factors that include L. occidentalis and climatic factors might have affected the pine nut production in Lebanon.