First records of the invasive aphid species, Aphis spiraecola, in Kosovo, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and Denmark

In the last few decades, the spiraea aphid (Aphis spiraecola Patch) has become a widely distributed pest of apple and citrus orchards across Europe. In our study, A. spiraecola was observed for the first time in Kosovo, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and Denmark, in apple orchards in the growing seasons of 2016, 2018 and 2019. The presence of A. spiraecola was also recorded on other host plants such as the quince (Cydonia oblonga Miller) and Vanhoutte spiraea (Spiraea x vanhouttei) in Slovakia, and the quince, common pear (Pyrus communis Linnaeus) and firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea M.J. Roemer) in the United Kingdom. Based on the morphological characteristics and the sequencing of the DNA mitochondria! cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI fragment) barcode, our study confirms the presence of this pest in five additional regions in Europe.

Automated summary

The spiraea aphid (Aphis spiraecola Patch) has become a widespread pest in apple and citrus orchards throughout Europe in recent decades. Our study confirms the presence of this pest in Kosovo, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and Denmark, as well as on other host plants such as quince, common pear and firethorn. Morphological characteristics and DNA sequencing were used to identify the presence of this pest in five additional regions in Europe.