Homotoma ficus

Homotoma ficus (Linnaeus, 1758) Feeds on In Bulgaria, Klimaszewski (1961 b), Harizanov (1963) and we collected adults and immatures on Ficus carica L., which is a confirmed host plant (Rapisarda 1989, Burckhardt 1989, Jerinić-Prodanović 2011). Distribution General distribution. Native to Mediterranean parts of Europe, North Africa, Ukraine, Caucasus, Middle East and Iran; alien in Great Britain, Central and south-eastern Europe, Serbia and USA. Distribution in Bulgaria (Fig. 34 b). Published records: BS, PBB, PSP, ROP, ROT (Klimaszewski 1961 b, Tsalev 1961, Harizanov 1963, Głowacka 1989). Material examined: BN, BS, ROM, ROP. Notes Klimaszewski (1961 b) described Homotoma viridis Klimaszewski, 1961 partly based on material from Bulgaria (paratypes from Petrich). This taxon is considered a synonym of H. ficus (Burckhardt 1989). Ficus carica L. is not native to the Bulgarian flora (POWO 2024), but it is cultivated as a fruit crop in yards and farms and naturalised in southern parts of the country and along the Black Sea coast (Assyov et al. 2012). Homotoma ficus is consequently an alien species in Bulgaria. Diagnosis Adult (Fig. 34 b). Loginova (1964), Tamanini (1965), Jerinić-Prodanović (2011). Fifth-instar immature. Rapisarda (1989), as H. viridis; Jerinić-Prodanović (2011).