New data on the distribution and biology of Takahashia japonica (Сockerell, 1896) in Crimea
https://doi.org/10.69536/FKR.2026.74.35.005
Abstract
Almost every year, new alien insect species are detected in Crimea. Some of them are prone to mass reproduction, are polyphagous, and can compete with native phytophages in their harmfulness, posing a threat to agricultural, ornamental, and forest crops. In May 2022, in the Balaklava district of Sevastopol, near the village of Rodnoe, agronomist P. Gutovsky detected a large population of a new alien species of coccid Takahashia japonica (Cockerell, 1896) (Homoptera: Coccinea: Coccidae) on Carpinus orientalis. The species is a phytophagous insect of Asian origin. It was first reported in Italy in Europe in 2017. Globally, T. japonica has a limited distribution. Surveys of fruit and ornamental crops in T. japonica outbreaks in 2025 identified host plants damaged by the new alien phytophage and determined the extent of their damage. The morphological and biological characters of T. japonica in Crimea were studied. The phytophage’s exceptionally high fecundity was determined, with actual counts of eggs and larvae in ovisacs reaching a maximum of 7,643 eggs per ovisac 7.4 cm long. The average fecundity of a single female was 4,078.27 eggs, with the number varying from 283 to 7,643. A strong correlation was established between ovisac length and the number of eggs and larvae within it. Original illustrative photographic material was collected to analyze the morphology of females and larvae of this potentially dangerous alien species.
About the Authors
N. M. Stryukova
All-Russian Plant Quarantine Cenrer (FGBU “VNIIKR”)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Natalya Stryukova, PhD in Agriculture, Leading Researcher, Research and Methodology Department, Simferopol branch
21a Shosseynaya st., Komsomolskoe, Simferopol, Republic of Crimea, 295494
A. A. Stryukov
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education, Vernadsky Crimean Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Aleksandr Stryukov, PhD in Biology, Associate Professor of the Department of Zoology and Aquaculture
4 Academician Vernadsky Avenue, Simferopol, Republic of Crimea, 295007
V. E. Glebov
All-Russian Plant Quarantine Cenrer (FGBU “VNIIKR”)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Valery Glebov, Researcher — Head of Research and Methodology Department, Simferopol branch
21a Shosseynaya st., Komsomolskoe, Simferopol, Republic of Crimea, 295494
A. A. Izyumskaya
All-Russian Plant Quarantine Cenrer (FGBU “VNIIKR”)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Anna Izyumskaya, Researcher, Research and Methodology Department, Simferopol branch
21a Shosseynaya st., Komsomolskoe, Simferopol, Republic of Crimea, 295494
A. I. Ignatova
Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education, Vernadsky Crimean Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Aleksandra Ignatova, Master’s student, Department of Zoology and Aquaculture
4 Academician Vernadsky Avenue, Simferopol, Republic of Crimea, 295007
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Review
For citations:
Stryukova N.M., Stryukov A.A., Glebov V.E., Izyumskaya A.A., Ignatova A.I. New data on the distribution and biology of Takahashia japonica (Сockerell, 1896) in Crimea. Plant Health and Quarantine. 2026;(2):54-66. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.69536/FKR.2026.74.35.005
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