Giuseppe Mazza

• PhD Etology and Animal Ecology
• Researcher at Council for Agricultural Research and Economics

In 2022, EFSA was mandated by the European Commission's Directorate‐General for Health and Food Safety (M‐2022‐00070) to provide technical assistance on the list of Union quarantine pests qualifying as priority pests, as specified in Article 6(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 on protective measures against plant pests. As part of Task C, EFSA conduc...

In 2022, EFSA was mandated by the European Commission's Directorate‐General for Health and Food Safety (M‐2022‐00070) to provide technical assistance on the list of Union quarantine pests qualifying as priority pests, as specified in Article 6(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 on protective measures against plant pests. As part of Task C, EFSA conduc...

Accurate and up-to-date information on the distribution of invasive alien insect species is crucial for effective biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. The palm borer moth (Paysandisia archon, PBM), a neotropical pest moth, has invaded Europe and western Asia, threatening native and ornamental palm populations. This study aimed to upd...

Toumeyella parvicornis (Cockerell, 1897) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) has become a key pest for Mediterranean stone pines in Italy and may potentially threaten pine forests across Europe. Established infestations of this scale insect are very hard to contain, even with chemical treatments. For this reason, biological control could be a promising approach...

In 2022, EFSA was mandated by the European Commission's Directorate‐General for Health and Food Safety (M‐2022‐00070) to provide technical assistance regarding the list of Union quarantine pests qualifying as priority pests, as specified in Article 6(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 on protective measures against plant pests. As part of Task C, EFSA...

After centuries of extinction due to human persecution, Eurasian beavers Castor fiber L. have been released to Southern Europe in the last decades. Being ecosystem engineers, beavers have attracted great attention regarding restoration of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nonetheless, the effects of the species on aquatic invertebrates known to d...

Thalassa montezumae Mulsant is a coccinellid species recently discovered as predator of the pine tortoise scale Toumeyella parvicornis. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of T. montezumae collected in Turks and Caicos Islands in 2023 was sequenced using next-generation sequencing techniques. The circular mitochondrial genome is 16,981...

After centuries of widespread extinction, the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber has recolonised most of its former extent of occurrence, following international and national protection laws, reintroduction programmes, and unauthorized releases. Beavers provide valuable ecosystem services and multiple benefits to native biodiversity, though their activit...

BACKGROUND Popillia japonica Newman is a scarab beetle native to Japan that is considered a serious pest outside its native range. It can feed on more than 400 host plants and spread about 10 km per year in invaded territories, therefore it is considered the second most important quarantine pest in Europe. Both chemical and biological insecticides...

Toumeyella parvicornis, native to the Nearctic regions, represents an increasing threat to pine forests worldwide. Severe infestations of this invasive scale have long been present in the Caribbean Islands of Turks and Caicos (TCI), and recently in Europe (Italy and France). Classical biological control could represent the most promising method for...

As known “ecosystem engineers”, beavers influence river hydrology, geomorphology, biochemistry, and biological assemblages. However, there is a lack of research regarding the effects of beaver activities on freshwater meiofauna. In this study, we investigated the taxonomic and functional composition of the benthic copepod assemblage of a segment of...

Rhabditis (Rhabditella) axei is a free-living, pseudoparasitic, necromenic, and parasitic nematode, depending on the host. This species feeds mainly on bacteria present in decaying organic matter, soil, and other substrates; however, in its parasitic form, it can colonize some species of snails. Moreover, the presence of R. axei has also been detec...

Lethocerus patruelis (Stål, 1854) is the only member of the Belostomatidae family in Europe. During the last decades, records of this giant water bug have become frequent in south-eastern Italy, but with no evidence about its origin (man-mediated unintentional introduction or a natural westward spread). The status of this species in Italy is still...

Viene affrontato il problema delle specie esotiche nelle Riseve Biogenetiche Casentinesi alcune delle quali a carattere invasivo.

The black weevil Aclees taiwanensis Kôno, 1933 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a xylophagous insect native to Southeast Asia and introduced to Italy in 2005. Here, the species completes its entire life cycle on Ficus carica L., causing economic damage and leading to the plants’ death. Nowadays, there are no insecticides registered for its control. I...

Reintroduction and rewilding initiatives are key strategies to reverse human impacts on ecosystems and re‐establish natural processes. However, rewilding may involve complex management scenarios, because many expanding species can have economic impacts and cause human–wildlife conflicts. Conflicts can be particularly challenging when carnivores, la...

The Eurasian beaver Castor fiber L., 1758, absent in Italy for over 500 years, has established reproductive populations in Central Italy since 2019, most likely following unauthorized releases. Besides positive effects on local biodiversity, beavers may host a plethora of infective agents, including parasites. Therefore, an assessment of parasitic...

Several biotic and abiotic interactions will contribute to riparian ecosystem changes. The impact of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) on woody vegetation is still unknown for the Mediterranean biogeographical area. Through a replicable approach applied on a cluster of three rivers, we studied how the tree layer of Mediterranean riparian sites is impa...

According to the IUCN guidelines, wildlife reintroduction should consider any impacts on humans within feasibility assessments. Eurasian beavers Castor fiber are recovering across their native range, due to protection laws and reintroductions. In Central Italy, a self-sustaining, naturalised population of Eurasian beavers has been identified in the...

Popillia japonica is a quarantine pest of priority interest for the EU, given its potentially important economic, social and environmental impacts. Alternative strategies to chemical methods are essential to limit its spread in newly infested areas with favourable climatic and environmental conditions. Saponins are biologically active molecules wid...

Simple Summary Eurasian beavers have been released throughout Europe since the 1900s, with most introductions following the international reintroduction guidelines. Conversely, unauthorised releases have occurred in several countries, e.g., in Spain, Belgium, Scotland, and Central Italy (Tuscany and Umbria regions). In March 2023, other unequivocal...

Popillia japonica, a priority pest for the EU, was first detected in Northern Italy in 2014. Since its discovery, the outbreak extended over an area of more than 16,000 square kilometers in Northern Italy and Southern Switzerland. In this review, we summarize the state-of-the-art of research conducted in Italy on both the spreading capacity and con...

BACKGROUND The Japanese beetle Popillia japonica Newman is an insect pest native to Japan that has spread into North America, the Azores and, recently, into continental Europe. Here, we present a study assessing the effectiveness of a long‐lasting insecticide‐treated net (LLIN), assembled in semiochemical‐baited attract‐and‐kill devices (A&Ks) as a...

The natural occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) was investigated along the Ticino River (Ticino River Natural Park, Novara Province, Piedmont, Italy), at the center of the area of the first settlement of the invasive alien pest Popillia japonica. Using Zimmermann's "Galleria bait method", EPF were successfully isolated from 83 out of 155 soi...

Le popolazioni di gambero di fiume Austropotamobius pallipes complex stanno diminuendo nel Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi (Italia Centrale), a causa di diversi fattori, tra cui bracconaggio, aumento di salmonidi predatori, siccità e specie aliene invasive. Dal 2019 è stata riportata la predazione sulla specie da parte del procione Procyo...

The palm borer Paysandisia archon is a moth of South American origin, which has been introduced to most of Europe and the Caucasian areas of Asia. This insect is responsible for severe damage to palm trees (Arecaceae), as its larvae eat palm apical meristem and dig galleries into the stipe, resulting in plant death. The first records of P. archon i...

Eurasian beavers Castor fiber are important ecosystem engineers, able to modify freshwater environments and influence local biodiversity. Beaver activity affects not only aquatic ecosystems but also terrestrial habitats and organisms. In recent times, beaver populations have been detected in Central Italy. In this work, we determined the use of bea...

The ongoing climatic change is forcing animal species to cope with global warming and to use different resources to improve their survival. Several species have been favoured by global warming, particularly the alien ones adapted to thrive in tropical and subtropical areas. As to Italian mammals, the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata, a large rode...

The common genet Genetta genetta is a small carnivoran mammal with a wide distribution range covering most of Africa. This species has been introduced to the Iberian Peninsula over 1000 years ago, and then it has spread throughout most of France, reaching Switzerland and NorthWestern Italy. In this note, we summarised the distribution of the common...

Eriophyoid mites are represented worldwide by a multitude of extremely specialized species, with feeding habits largely restricted to a single host plant species. Hemp has been used for fiber, food, and medicine for thousands of years and it is still being used nowadays. One eriophyoid mite, Aculops cannabicola (Farkas, 1960) (Acari: Eriophyoidea),...

The invasive ricaniid species Pochazia shantungensis (Chou & Lu, 1977), an Asiatic pest in China and Korea, is reported for the first time in Italy. This is the fourth confirmed record from Europe after Turkey, France, and Germany. The list of the host plants recorded in Europe is given. Illustrations of male and female genital structures (external...

Simple Summary Competition and predation are the main factors shaping interspecific coexistence in wildlife communities. Species reappearance and introductions may alter these dynamics. The Eurasian beaver Castor fiber is a widespread species in Europe, and it is part of the diet of many birds and mammalian carnivores of all sizes. Additionally, co...

Simple Summary Commercial routes are reported as the main cause of biological invasions. Particularly, naval trade may accidentally bring several species to new areas where they are not native. This is particularly evident for coastal areas, where most biological invasions occur. In our work, we reported, for the first time, the presence of the oce...

Alien land planarians have been recorded in most of Europe and, in Italy, in 17 out of 20 regions. In this work, after collecting new data through a citizen-science approach, we report for the first time the presence of at least one alien planarian species in Molise, Basilicata, and Aosta Valley and we update the distribution range provided in our...

Halyomorpha halys (Stål, 1855) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), the brown marmorated stink bug, is an invasive pentatomid native to East-Asia, and introduced worldwide in recent times. It is a polyphagous pest with approximately 300 host plants, which, due to its plasticity, reproductive and feeding behaviour, long-distance flight, and walking as well as...

The American mink Neovison vison is a widespread alien carnivore in Europe due to escapes from fur farms through this continent. Impacts by naturalized mink include competition with native species and predation of crayfish and small vertebrates. Therefore, an updated monitoring of mink distribution is required to design management plans. The Americ...

Biogeography and the occurrence of small mammals are usually hard to investigate due to the small size and secretive habits of these mammals. Available data are particularly insufficient on minor islands and at national borders, where research efforts are usually scarce. Here we briefly updated the knowledge on murid rodents on two remote Italian s...

Alien land planarians have been scarcely recorded in Italy and the aim of this work was to update the distribution of alien planarians in Italy using a citizen science and, whenever possible, a molecular approach. We received 133 records of at least 15 species (Anisorhynchodemus cf. signata, Australopacifica atrata, Australoplana cf. sanguinea alba...

Riassunto breve-Il castoro eurasiatico Castor fiber si è estinto in gran parte dell'Europa tra il Medioevo e il XIX se-colo. A partire dagli inizi del 1900, leggi di protezione e reintroduzioni autorizzate/non autorizzate hanno avuto luogo in gran parte degli stati europei e la popolazione di questa specie è ora diffusa tra la Spagna settentrionale...

Distribution and genetic analysis of wild-living Eurasian beavers in Central Italy. The presence of the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber L. has been recently confirmed with two separated populations in Tuscany (Central Italy) and probably represents the result of an unofficial release. In late spring and summer 2021, seven reliable records of Eurasian...

Although habitat fragmentation is widely reported to affect species survival and distribution, its effect in terms of host-parasite interactions in small mammal communities is poorly studied yet. Using information collected from carcasses of 34 road-kill and two preyed-upon individuals, we present the first comprehensive study dealing with the rela...

Ricania speculum is an alien insect feeding on several host plants belonging to several families, including important vegetables, crops, ornamental plants, wild plants as well as trees. For the first time, recently, Chrysoperla sp. and coccinellid beetles have been observed preying on this species in the field on Citrus sp. and Laurus nobilis plant...

The white-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes complex populations are decreasing in the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park (Central Italy), due to several factors, including illegal poaching, predatory fishes, drought, and invasive alien species. Recently, the Northern raccoon Procyon lotor has been reported to be...

In this short report, we documented the reappearance of the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber L. for the first time in Tuscany (Central Italy). After the detection of unequivocal signs of presence, we confirmed the occurrence of beavers through camera trapping. Genetic analyses (cytochrome-b mitochondrial gene) and hair microstructure confirmed it as th...

Scarce data are currently available about the distribution of the Mediterranean medicinal leech Hirudo verbana in Italy, and most of the known occurrence localities are based on records collected in the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, which were not confirmed in the last decades, mostly due to a lack of surveys. Accordingly,...

Halyomorpha halys is an Asian pentatomid that has recently invaded several countries worldwide, where it has become a severe pest. Classical biological control focused on the scelionid egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus appears to be the most promising long-term solution. However, non-target risks need to be included in cost/benefit analyses. Phys...

The assessment of species composition in a certain area may become outdated over time due to community dynamics including species range expansion, but also to local extinctions, species introductions and taxonomic redefinition. Therefore, updated checklists are required for animal conservation and management. Exhaustive checklists of invertebrate s...

The Northern raccoon Procyon lotor is a native mesocarnivore of North America which has been introduced to many Eurasian countries, where invasive populations currently occur. Regarding Italy, the species is present in Lombardy and in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park (Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna). In this work, we conducted a review on food hab...

Simple Summary Predator-prey relationships and competition shape interspecific coexistence in wildlife communities. So far, most published studies have focused on large carnivores and their prey, whereas little is known about medium and small-sized mammal communities. The European brown hare Lepus europaeus is a widespread species in Europe and is...

Assessing wildlife activity rhythms is crucial to design effective management programmes for invasive alien species. Among the most widespread alien mammals in Italy, the Eastern cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus has been introduced from North America for hunting purposes and it is now very common in the Northern and Central regions. In this study,...

Meloidogyne graminicola is one of the most harmful organisms in rice cultivation throughout the world. This pest was detected for the first time in mainland Europe (Northern Italy) in 2016 and was subsequently added to the EPPO Alert List. To date, few methods are available for the control of M. graminicola and new solutions are required. In 2019,...

The River Merse basin is situated between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. During the last few centuries, it has been subjected to intense mining operations. Being polluted because of this mining activity since the times of Industrial Revolution, the river has recently received renewed media coverage that has led to a process of decontamination...

Simple Summary In recent years, a new pest, the black weevil Aclees taiwanensis Kȏno, 1933 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) native to Asia, has been recorded in France and Italy. Aclees taiwanensis larvae cause the rapid death of the fig tree (Ficus carica), digging alimentation galleries in the trunk and surface roots, compromising the phloem flux. To...

Many herbivorous, granivorous and frugivorous rodents can integrate animal proteins in their diet, still for many of them no information is available on the importance of animal food sources. The crested porcupine, Hystrix cristata, is considered a strictly vegetarian rodent. It may integrate animal proteins through bone-gnawing, while the importan...

Olive cultivation is of great economic, ecological, and cultural interest in Italy, as well as in the rest of the Mediterranean basin. Among the pests of olive trees, several groups of insects, mites, and nematodes have been reported. Phytoparasitic nematodes especially of the genera Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus, Xiphinema, Tylenchulu...

Soil invertebrates represent almost a quarter of the total diversity of living organisms and their activity affects the entire soil ecological process. The choice of adequate thinning systems may differently affect soil nematode and microarthropod biodiversity in artificial black pinewoods. In this work, the results of the impact of different thinn...

Simple Summary The Japanese beetle Popillia japonica is considered one of the most harmful organisms in the world for crops and the urban landscape. Popillia japonica spends most of its life cycle in the soil as a larva. At this stage, this beetle is more susceptible to biological control agents like entomopathogenic nematodes, which are obligate p...

The genus Crocidura (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) is the most speciose genus amongst mammals, i.e., it includes the highest number of species. Different species are distinguished by skull morphology, which often prevents the identification of individuals in the field and limits research on these species’ ecology and biology. We combined species distrib...

Ooencyrtus gonoceri Viggiani (Hymenoptera Encyrtidae) is a poorly known egg parasitoid species with an apparently rare occurrence in the Mediterranean basin. It was originally identified in southern Italy emerging from Gonocerus acuteangulatus (Goeze) eggs and successively recorded also from Spain. Recently O. gonoceri emerged from sentinel egg bat...

Simple Summary The distribution of the lacebug Corythauma ayyari, a pest species associated to jasmine plants, has been updated using collections and citizen-science data. The path of introduction of this species in Italy has been inferred with molecular analysis. The results revealed an extent of occurrence in Italy wider than was previously known...

During the annual monitoring surveys for the pinewood nematodes, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, conducted in the Tuscany region (Central Italy) from the year 2015 to 2019, a total of 1,025 wood samples were collected from symptomatic plants in co- niferous forests. Among the eight Bursaphelenchus species found, Bursaphelenchus abietinus and B. andr...

The olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae is one of the most serious and economically damaging insects worldwide, affecting the quality and quantity of both olive oil and table olives. Third instar larvae and pupae of several Tephritidae flies were reported to be susceptible to entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), but few studies have been carried out on...

Because of the high risk of going unnoticed, cryptic species represent a major challenge to biodiversity assessments, and this is particularly true for taxa that include many such species, e.g. bats. Long-eared bats from the genus Plecotus comprise numerous cryptic species occurring in the Mediterranean Region, and present complex phylogenetic rela...

The presence of the freshwater crab Potamon fluviatile (Herbst, 1785) within the Arno River urban tract of Florence is reported, with a discussion on the possible causes of the absence of these data in the scientific literature. We concluded that probably the freshwater crab populations have always been present in the study area.

To be effective, management strategies of invasive alien species cannot ignore their spatio-temporal behavior particularly those exerting serious damages to human activities. The black planthopper Ricania speculum is an Asian insect that has been reported as an alien inva-sive species in Italy, where it threatens local plant diversity, including im...

Parasites and pathogens can follow different patterns of infection depending on the host developmental stage or sex. In fact, immune function is energetically costly for hosts and trade‐offs exist between immune defences and life history traits as growth, development and reproduction and organisms should thus optimize immune defence through their l...

Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a highly polyphagous invasive beetle originating from Japan. This insect is highly resilient and able to rapidly adapt to new vegetation. Insect‐associated microorganisms can play important roles in insect physiology, helping their hosts to adapt to changing conditions and potentially contribut...

The North American crayfish Procam-barus clarkii is considered among the most invasive freshwater species. However, burrowing behaviour and the possible impact of P. clarkii on levees have not yet been studied in depth. To assess shape, volume and structure of its burrows and the associated behaviour, experiments were conducted introducing two size...

Predation risk is the main factor affecting movements of mammal prey species. Here we assessed the activity patterns of a nearly endemic fossorial rodent, the Savi’s pine vole Microtus savii, in two agroecosystems in central Italy. Direct captures were carried out in cold months (December–March) with live-traps; sex and age were recorded for each c...

A new species of Bursaphelenchus , extracted from unprocessed logs of Milicia excelsa from Cameroon and arriving in the port of Leghorn, Tuscany, Central Italy, is described. Bursaphelenchus irokophilus n. sp. is based upon morphological and molecular characters and is characterised by the two-lined lateral field, mitten-shaped spicule possessing c...

The common chameleon Chamaeleo chamaeleon is a Mediterranean lizard which has been introduced in many islands and its native origin in European countries is debated. Chameleons have been introduced in southern Italy, possibly from the Middle East and Tunisia. We conducted genetic analyses on mitochondrial DNA 16S gene on a larger sample. We observe...

The American mink Neovison vison has been introduced to Italy for fur farms in the 1950s. Since the 1970s, free-ranging individuals are present in north-eastern Italy, where an expanding population still occurs. In our work, we aimed at assessing the seasonal diet of invasive American mink introduced to northeastern Italy. Thus, a total of 195 mink...

The northern raccoon, Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758), is listed among the invasive alien species of European Union concern. Therefore, an updated monitoring of its distribution is required to design and address management actions. As to Italy, the raccoon has been reported with an established population only in northern regions. In this note, we re...

The study group of freshwater decapods established within the Italian Association of Freshwater Ichthyologists aims at improving knowledge on the biology of both native and alien freshwater crayfish, shrimps, and crabs which currently inhabit Italian lentic and lotic waters, promoting at the same time the establishment of a network of experts that...

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, commonly known as Red Palm Weevil, is one of the most destructive and invasive palm pests’ species in the world. The most important host species are coconut palms, oil palms, Canary Island palms and it is considered as a key pest in date palms crops. As the existing chemical – based treatments are not efficient, the ecofr...

The distribution of Ricania speculum (Walker, 1851) (Hemiptera Fulgoromorpha Ricaniidae) in Italy was updated and the species was recorded for the first time in Veneto (2017), Piedmont (2018) and Latium (2018) regions. The occurrence of this species in Sardinia, previously recorded, is here excluded. Moreover, 33 new host plants belonging to 29 fam...

Cherax destructor is a crayfish endemic to south-eastern Australia and one of the last alien crayfish to be introduced in Italy. In the Laghi di Ninfa Natural Reserve (Latium region, Central Italy), the species was probably introduced in 1999, but only reported for the first time in 2008. Nearby this area, the most widespread alien crayfish is the...