First records of the pest leaf beetle Chrysolina (Chrysolinopsis) americana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in Cyprus - a study initiated from social media

By

Hadjiconstantis, Michael
Zoumides, Christos

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-02-12

Original Publication

Biodiversity data journal

Volume

9

Pages

1--10

Subjects

citizen science. , Distribution , host plant , Pest , Rosemary beetle

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft Publishers [2013]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.9.e61349
eLocator: e61349

 

Abstract

The leaf beetle Chrysolina (Chrysolinopsis) americana (Linnaeus, 1758), commonly known as the Rosemary beetle, is native to some parts of the Mediterranean region. In the last few decades, it has expanded its distribution to new regions in the North and Eastern Mediterranean basin. Chrysolina americana feeds on plants of the Lamiaceae family, such as Rosmarinus officinalis, Lavandula spp., Salvia spp., Thymus spp. and others. Chrysolina americana is considered a pest, as many of its host plants are of commercial importance and are often used as ornamentals in house gardens and green public spaces. In this work, we report the first occurrence of C. americana in Cyprus and we present its establishment, expansion and distribution across the Island, through recordings for the period 2015 – 2020. The study was initiated from a post on a Facebook group, where the species was noticed in Cyprus for the first time, indicating that social media and citizen science can be particularly helpful in biodiversity research.