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Prospecting for Halyomorpha halys in Portugal

The Brown Marbled Bedbug or Asian Bedbug (Halyomorpha halys) is a generalist insect that feeds on a wide variety of plants, including kiwifruit. It represents a threat to agricultural production due to the damage it is capable of causing to fruit (depressions, scarring, discoloration and deformation) and leaves (discoloration) during feeding.

It is a native species of West Asia and was accidentally introduced in the American (in the USA in 2001 and in Chile in 2017) and European (Switzerland in 2004) continents, having expanded its distribution from these points of introduction (currently in 22 countries outside its native region). The closest occurrences to Portuguese territory are in Spain (detected in Catalonia in 2016).

Due to the existing favourable climate in Portugal, the rapid progression observed and the potential agricultural damage, the project includes measures for the prospection of this insect in order to raise awareness among producers and locate a possible introduction on national soil. To this end, it is planned to involve the community in the survey (Citizen Science) as well as field trials in kiwifruit orchards. As a first step, guide cards were developed for the identification of this insect by comparison with morphologically similar species, challenging the community, through social and institutional networks, to search and share photographs of similar insects.

 

 

Thus, we request your help to share with us your photographs of this insect or similar species, through an email or the iNaturalist platform.

For more information: See Activities

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