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69
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Introduction
I am a researcher passionate about entomology, molecular biology, and sustainable plant protection. My work centers on the study of insect pests, their symbionts, and natural enemies, combining morphological, biological, and genetic approaches. With a keen interest in invasive species and biological control methods, I am dedicated to advancing knowledge and innovative solutions for ecological balance and agricultural sustainability.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
July 2020 - present
February 2014 - June 2020
Position
- Research Assistant
August 2017 - January 2018
Education
November 2008 - February 2012
Publications
Publications (69)
The blue-gum chalcid Leptocybe invasa Fisher & LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is a gall wasp pest of Eucalyptus species, likely native to Australia. Over the past 15 years it has invaded 39 countries on all continents where eucalypts are grown. The worldwide invasion of the blue gum chalcid was attributed to a single thelytokous morphospecies fo...
The larval parasitoid Quadrastichus mendeli (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae), a highly effective parasitoid of the invasive
blue-gum chalcid Leptocybe invasa (Tetrastichinae) was discovered to have been accidentally introduced to Italy, where it
was never released. Over the last three years, Q. mendeli has become widespread in central and...
Anagrus lindberginae sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), an egg parasitoid
of the leafhopper Lindbergina aurovittata (Homoptera:
Cicadellidae), is described from Italy. It is included in the atomus
group of Anagrus Haliday and compared with the allied known taxa.
The parasitoid’s life cycle is characterized by a long larval diapause
from spring to fal...
The larval stages of Dryokosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu are described
and illustrated. The terminal-instar larva shows marked variation in the mandibular
asymmetry and in number and position of the respiratory spiracles. Notes on the
larval phenology are given.
L' insetto è stato rinvenuto nel territorio tra Pozzuoli e Napoli su diverse piante di susino, albicocco e ciliegio. Nei comuni di Marano di Napoli e Monte di Procida sono state riscontrate infestazioni anche su pesco.
Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Quaintance) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) has rapidly spread, mainly in the central and eastern Mediterranean coastal area, infesting various new host plants alongside known ones. This invasive species poses a significant threat to agricultural ecosystems, necessitating urgent action to monitor and control outbreaks in previous...
This study presents a qPCR-based molecular diagnostic method utilizing a TaqMan probe to ac-curately identify Agrilus auroguttatus Schäffer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from adult insects, ex-creta samples, and frass residues. The method demonstrated excellent DNA amplification across all sample types, highlighting strong analytical specificity. The p...
A meticulous study has led to description and identification of a novel member of the aphelinid genus Eretmocerus as a species associated with nymphs of the orange spiny whitefly, Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Quaintance) (Hemiptera Aleyrodidae). The detailed morphological analysis of the parasitoid has revealed distinctive characteristics that differe...
A meticulous study has led to description and identification of a novel member of the aphelinid genus Eretmocerus as a species associated with nymphs of the orange spiny whitefly, Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Quaintance) (Hemiptera Aleyrodidae). The detailed morphological analysis of the parasitoid has revealed distinctive characteristics that differe...
The invasive spread of the Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), (Diptera, Tephritidae) (the oriental fruit fly), is inten-
sifying globally. After sporadic interceptions in Europe, the first field findings occurred in Italy in 2018–2019. Despite
a record-free period from 2020 to 2021, catches in Campania surged from June 2022 onwards. In response, a serie...
Caloptilia roscipennella (Hübner, 1796) is a leaf‐mining moth native to Central and Southern Europe. In this publication, we provide the first report of the occurrence of Caloptilia roscipennella in India. The identification was performed using an integrative approach, combining molecular (barcoding, COI) and morphological analysis (forewing patter...
Best Poster at European Horticulture Congress 2024 - Symposium 09 Robotics, mechanization and Smart Agriculture
Aromia bungii Faldermann (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an emerging invasive pest of economically important Prunus species that is native to China, Mongolia, the Russian Far East, Korea, and Vietnam. It was recently introduced to Japan, Germany, and Italy, where it is spreading and damaging crops and ornamental trees. It exhibits an adaptable lifecy...
This study focuses on the first detection in Europe of a parasitoid Eretmocerus sp. gr. serius (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) on the Orange Spiny Whitefly, Aleurocanthus spiniferus (Quaintance) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Through extensive field surveys, this study investigates the occurrence of the aphelinid in several regions across central and souther...
Simple Summary
The accurate identification of the Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, is complicated by its similarities to other species and taxonomic uncertainties. This represents a significant threat to fruit crops as it is already present in Europe, and this is a cause for great concern. To expedite identification, a reliable method using...
Aganaspis daci, a larval-pupal parasitoid of several tephritid species, was unexpectedly recovered in the Campania region (Southern Italy), where it had not been intentionally released. An integrative approach was used to conduct a comprehensive characterization of this parasitoid, confirming its identification through a comparison with specimens o...
In 2019, in southern Italy (Campania) there was an outbreak of a sap beetle infesting stored walnut fruits. A monitoring activity started to assess the spread and impact of the pest in walnut orchards and in warehouses, and an integrative characterization led to identify the beetle as Carpophilus truncatus. This species has been in Europe for a lon...
Simple Summary
This study was carried out with the aim of emphasizing the importance of checking the plant material that can be imported in the baggage of airline passengers. Travelers are often unaware of the regulations in place and of the risks connected with such importation. The risk of the introduction of harmful organisms correlated with thi...
The increase in the number of non‐native species invading new territories demands the use of more efficient monitoring methods. Among them, remote monitoring is a useful technological tool to integrate traditional pest monitoring techniques. It offers timely data from monitored sites, making the planning of a possible intervention of precision agri...
This datasheet on Leptocybe invasa covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Hosts/Species Affected, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Prevention/Control, Further Information.
Simple Summary
Current knowledge of some species of Asphondylia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is very scarce, such as those causing flower galls on Lamiaceae. Their role in natural and agricultural ecosystems remains to be investigated. Hitherto, the description of new species of this genus was mostly based on morphological variations of both the adult...
After the first finding of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) in Italy, an emergency monitory plan was adopted in the infested area aimed at confirming or denying the establishment of this species in Italy. Scheduling the installation of traps set with both Methyl eugenol and Torula yeast, in 2019 the monitory plan allowed other captures of B. dorsalis a...
The subgenus Liophloeus Weise, 1894 of Liophloeus Germar, 1817 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae: Polydrusini) consists of five morphologically similar species traditionally diagnosed based on the shape of the aedeagus. However, traits of the genital apparatus exhibit substantial and overlapping inter-and intraspecific variation. All five speci...
The walnut twig beetle Pityophthorus juglandis is a phloem-boring bark beetle responsible, in association with the ascomycete Geosmithia morbida, for the Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) of walnut trees. The recent finding of TCD in Europe prompted the development of effective diagnostic protocols for the early detection of members of this insect/fun...
The red-necked longhorn beetle Aromia bungii (Faldermann, 1835) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is native to east Asia, where it is a major pest of cultivated and ornamental species of the genus Prunus . Morphological or molecular discrimination of adults or larval specimens is required to identify this invasive wood borer. However, recovering larval st...
Dear Colleagues, The red-necked longhorn beetle Aromia bungii (Faldermann) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), native to continental Asia and surrounding areas, has in the last decade begun to expand its distribution area to other parts of the world. This wood-boring pest is a serious threat to stone fruit trees such as peach, plum, and cherry. Understandi...
Aromia bungii (Faldermann, 1835) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), the red-necked longhorn beetle is native to eastern Asia, where it is an important wood-borer of fruit and ornamental species of the genus Prunus. A. bungii is a quarantine pest in the European Union, following its accidental introduction and establishment in Germany and Italy, and is cur...
Larve di Carpophilus dimidiatus sono state ritrovate in sacchi di noci in un magazzino nel Napoletano.
Contro questo coleottero è importante agire su più fronti: in campo interrando i frutti
con adeguate lavorazioni del terreno; in magazzino sanificando gli ambienti; inoltre è importante il monitoraggio con trappole innescate con sostanze attrattiv...
The red-necked longhorn beetle (RLB) Aromia bungii (Fald.) is an emerging pest of stone fruit trees, native to East Asia, accidentally introduced in Europe (Germany and Italy) and Japan. Threatening seriously the stone fruit crops in Europe, RLB was added to both the EPPO A1 and priority pest lists of quarantine species. Molecular analyses highligh...
We report the first occurrence of the orange spiny whitefly (Aleurocanthus spiniferus; OSW) on the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) in Bari, Apulia region, Italy. After our first observation in 2016, the infestation recurred regularly during the following years and expanded to the neighboring trees. Since then, we have also found the insect on...
After the first record in 2008 in Southeast Italy, the alien invasive and quarantine pest Aleurocanthus spiniferus (orange spiny whitefly—OSW) has gradually spread throughout Europe, infesting several new host plants in addition to the known hosts. Molecular characterization of some Italian populations and a newly found Albanian population highligh...
We have evaluated different rearing strategies of Baryscapus silvestrii (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a parasitoid of Bactrocera oleae (Diptera: Tephritidae), including the use of a factitious host, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), and in the process acquired new knowledge of the parasitoid’s biology. We found that B. silvestrii: (1) parasit...
The karyotype of Eupristina verticillata Waterston, 1921 (Agaonidae) from Italy was studied for the first time using chromosome morphometrics. The present study showed that this species has n = 6 and 2n = 12, with five larger metacentrics and a smaller acrocentric chromosome in the haploid set. A brief overview of known karyotypes of chalcid wasps...
Chromosomes of Baryscapus silvestrii Viggiani et Bernardo, 2007 (Eulophidae) with n = 6 and 2n = 12 were studied using base-specific fluorochrome staining. Chromomycin A3 / 4', 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (CMA3/DAPI) staining revealed a singlepaired CMA3-positive band within the diploid karyo-type of B. silvestrii. This CG-rich segment apparentlycor...
Emerging pests are increasingly threatening fruit orchard health across the Mediterranean area. Tephritidae, representing serious threats for Europe, are numerous, and the fruit flies Bactrocera zonata and those belonging to Bactrocera dorsalis complex are among the most alarming species. These species are highly polyphagous and B. zonata has alrea...
Sap-suckers and gall wasps may be a severe phytosanitary problem for several Eucalyptus species, particularly for the red gum E. camaldulensis, the most widely cultivated Australian native tree species worldwide. This paper reviewed the harmfulness of some of these invasive pests established in Campania, and provides new information about their pes...
The depository institutions of the type material of Anagrus nepetellae Viggiani and Nugnes sp. n. are indicated.
The Asian chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu, is one of the most serious pests of Castanea spp. worldwide. Since local parasitoids did not effectively control this exotic pest, the Chinese parasitoid Torymus sinensis Kamijo was released into Japan and Europe resulting in a successful control of the invader. A survey of native paras...
A new gall midge, Asphondylia nepetae sp. n. Viggiani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), causing flower gall on Clinopodium nepeta (L.) Kuntze (Lamiaceae), is described from Europe. The morphological characteristics of adult, larvae, and pupa are described and illustrated. Molecular approach (by sequencing 28S-D2, ITS2, and COI) confirmed that A. nepetae is...
The orange spiny whitefly (OSW), Aleurocanthus spiniferus, is a worldwide known citrus pest native to tropical Asia. Since the beginning of the 20 th century, OSW spread throughout Asia, the Pacific, central and southern Africa and from 2008 it was intercepted many times in EPPO area (Italy, Croatia and Montenegro). OSW polyphagy is well known, bei...
The cynipid Dryocosmus kuriphilus is the most impactful invasive pest of Castanea sativa copse woods and orchards currently reported from many European countries. A low impact solution for the containment of this pest could be the use of resistant trees. We examined the resistance of the red salernitan ecotype (RSE) of C. sativa to D. kuriphilus an...
The incidence of horizontal transmission as a route for spreading symbiont infections is still being debated, but a common
view is that horizontal transfers require intimate between-species relationships. Here we study a system that meets ideal
requirements for horizontal transmission: the gall wasp Leptocybe invasa and its parasitoid Quadrastichus...
Egg parasitoids of the genus Anagrus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) are natural enemies of many pests around the world. We used an integrative approach to characterize some species belonging to the Anagrus atomus group, using specimens reared from leafhoppers infesting some Lamiaceae. Starting from morphological identifications based on available...
A new species of Soikiella Nowicki (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) that emerged mostly from galls induced by Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) on chestnut is described from Italy. The characterization of the new taxon, Soikiella italica Viggiani sp. n., was performed through a morpho-molecular approach. A key to the species...
All Hymenoptera have a haplodiploid mode of sex determination. Although most species reproduce
by arrhenotokous parthenogenesis, there are many thelytokous species, in which unfertilized eggs
develop into diploid females. Thelytoky can be genetic or due to microbial infection. In the large
Chalcidoidea superfamily, thelytokous parthenogenesis is al...
All Hymenoptera have a haplodiploid mode of sex determination. Although most species reproduce by arrhenotokous parthenogenesis, there are many thelytokous species, in which unfertilized eggs develop into diploid females. Thelytoky can be genetic or due to microbial infection. In the large Chalcidoidea superfamily, thelytokous parthenogenesis is al...
Here we communicate the finding of an adult of Ocellated Skink, Chalcides ocellatus in the ex Royal Park of Portici, near Naples, Italy. This finding is of particular interest because this species has been no longer reported in Portici for about twenty years, the only site so far documented in mainland Italy, where it was introduced from the mid-ei...
Anagrus lindberginae sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), an egg par-asitoid of the leafhopper Lindbergina aurovittata (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), is described from Italy. It is included in the atomus group of Anagrus Haliday and compared with the allied known taxa. The parasitoid's life cycle is characterized by a long larval diapause from spring to fa...
Corythauma ayyari (Drake), an Oriental tingid, has been found for the first time in Italy on Jasminum officinale L. in a private garden in Caserta (Campania). The species is briefly rediagnosed and illustrated. Preliminary observations carried out during the period of November-December suggest that this species has overlapping generations. This tin...
Questions
Questions (2)
Is it possible that genBank accepts sequences that clearly belong to a different species/order?
What to do when there are sequences in GenBank with the name of a species, but those sequences belong to a species of a different order? Can this be reported to GenBank and how?
If these sequences remain in GenBank, advantages of molecular identification lapse.
After all, a blast search would be enough to verify that it is a totally different organism from that indicated by the authors.
I found a population of beetles showing two COI haplotypes. I want to estimate the frequency of each haplotype . How many samples I need to analyse? Does a minimum number o samples exist?
