Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography

Globalisation has resulted in the introduction of alien species into new regions at an unprecedented rate. Some of these species become naturalised and pose a risk to the environment, agriculture, and human health. Insects represent one of the most invasive taxa with several disease vectors as well as agriculture and forest pests. Amongst the latter, Corythucha species are considered emerging pests since their life-history traits and host plant trade are helping their rapid spread. Therefore, early monitoring and reporting of highly invasive insect species are fundamental to implement pest management actions aimed at curtailing environmental and socioeconomic damage caused by these species. To this end, I updated the currently known distribution of alien Corythucha species invading Italy using a citizen-science approach, which is an easily repeatable approach that can be applied to other invasive species. In total, 234 records were retrieved from online databases/platforms, including five from the recently arrived invader C. marmorata. Most observations were made in summer and autumn in the months of August and September. The presence of Corythucha species was confirmed in newly invaded areas of Italy, demonstrating that citizen-science repositories are useful first-line tools to detect biological invasions, thus favouring rapid management.