FIRST REPORT OF AN ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGUS ATTACKING TOUMEYELLA PARVICORNIS (COCKERELL, 1897) (HEMIPTERA: COCCIDAE)

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 to manage outbreaks of this pest. During pest monitoring activities conducted in summer 2024 in the infested area of Tirrenia (Pisa, Tuscany, central Italy), a dead mature female of T. parvicornis was found covered by a white mycelium. The fungal strain was identified as the entomopathogenic fungus (EPF) Beauveria bassiana. Pathogenicity tests were performed to evaluate the efficacy of this strain against T. parvicornis. Different cohorts of mature females of this scale were treated with the new isolate and with a commercial B. bassiana strain for comparison. The natural strain of B. bassiana was responsible for a mortality rate which was significantly higher than controls, while the same strain did not show significant differences with the commercial one. Further investigations are needed to determine if B. bassiana and other EPF should be considered potential biological control agents useful to limit T. parvicornis infestations. Key Words: alien invasive species; Beauveria bassiana; biological control; Italy; natural enemy; pine tortoise scale; Pinus pinea.