Detection of the recent arrivals of Ameles spallanzania and Miomantis paykullii in various European countries through citizen science contributions

The presence of Miomantis paykullii has been identified for the first time in Türkiye, Cyprus, and Spain, while Ameles spallanzania has been identified for the first time in Slovakia, Romania, Luxembourg, and Türkiye. Records from social media and citizen science platforms suggest that the spread of these species may be influenced by human activities, particularly transportation and landscaping, similar to previously proposed hypotheses, as all observations were made in anthropogenic areas. Considering previous reports and new records related to these two species, researchers should pay attention to their ability to adapt easily to new regions and their potential to become invasive.