Introduced or established? Convergent evidence indicates imported pine wood nematode vectors occupy gaps in native distribution

Abstract Monitoring regulated quarantine plant pathogens and, when relevant, their vectors is compulsory in the European Union. Local Monochamus species (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) vector the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus , a non-native pest already established in most of Portugal. Only 29 M. galloprovincialis individuals were trapped in Belgium in ten years (2013–2022), despite a dense coverage of pheromone-baited traps, suggesting absence or a very rare local occurrence in the country. In the northern neighbouring countries, only one single established population is known in The Netherlands and one in Denmark. A species distribution model based on pheromone-trap catches (negative and positive) of M. galloprovincialis from 4,914 traps in 29 European countries between 2008 and 2019 was developed, using the overall climate conditions and the distribution of seven pine tree species as explanatory variables. The effect of spatial scale was tested with a multi-scale approach. With a 225*225 km spatial grain, the major explanatory variables were the mean diurnal temperature range and, to a lesser extent, the presence of Pinus spp. The model predicted a low probability of presence in Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain and north-western Germany compared to southern Europe. Genotyping allowed to conclude that at least some of the beetles caught in Belgium originated from foreign locations. All catches were located close to entry points, suggesting introduction with imported material. The small size of most of the Belgian pine stands may also explain the absence or apparently transient status, or rareness of Monochamus spp. This study thus suggests that surveys in Belgium should privilege entry points rather than local forest stands.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Pest Science
Published
2026-04-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-026-02025-1
Primary Topic
Forest Insect Ecology and Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Introduced or established? Convergent evidence indicates imported pine wood nematode vectors occupy gaps in native distribution

Jean Artois, Dimitrios Ν. Avtzis, Nick Berkvens, Birger Ilau et al.
Journal of Pest Science
Forest Insect Ecology and Management
article

Introduced or established? Convergent evidence indicates imported pine wood nematode vectors occupy gaps in native distribution

Jean Artois, Dimitrios Ν. Avtzis, Nick Berkvens, Birger Ilau, Hans Peter Ravn, Hans Casteels, Marcel Govaert, Jean‐Claude Grégoire, György Csóka, Alain Drumont, Juraj Galko, Tine Hauptman, Davide Rassati, Alain Roques, Hugo Mas, Sergé Morand, Gernot Hoch, Jiří Foit, Julien Reiners, Simone Prospero, Jochem Bonte, Marius Gilbert, Martin Schroeder, Christo Nikolov, Iryna Matsiakh, Gilles San Martin, Lidia Sukovata, Theodoor Heijerman, Sandra Closa, Quentin Leroy, Loreta Rezgytė, Liisa Vihervuori, David Michelante, Andrija Vukadin, Wim Jennes, Olivier VanHoutte, Géraldine Roux, Björn Hoppe, Emmanuel Kersaudy, Emmanuelle Magnoux, Jean-Luc Flot, Jørn Misser, Antonio Miguel Franquinho Aguiar, Hervé Jactel, Natasha Farrugia, Julien Claude, Liga Grisane, Juan Pajares, Louis Van Geertruijden
article en

Abstract

Abstract Monitoring regulated quarantine plant pathogens and, when relevant, their vectors is compulsory in the European Union. Local Monochamus species (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) vector the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus , a non-native pest already established in most of Portugal. Only 29 M. galloprovincialis individuals were trapped in Belgium in ten years (2013–2022), despite a dense coverage of pheromone-baited traps, suggesting absence or a very rare local occurrence in the country. In the northern neighbouring countries, only one single established population is known in The Netherlands and one in Denmark. A species distribution model based on pheromone-trap catches (negative and positive) of M. galloprovincialis from 4,914 traps in 29 European countries between 2008 and 2019 was developed, using the overall climate conditions and the distribution of seven pine tree species as explanatory variables. The effect of spatial scale was tested with a multi-scale approach. With a 225*225 km spatial grain, the major explanatory variables were the mean diurnal temperature range and, to a lesser extent, the presence of Pinus spp. The model predicted a low probability of presence in Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain and north-western Germany compared to southern Europe. Genotyping allowed to conclude that at least some of the beetles caught in Belgium originated from foreign locations. All catches were located close to entry points, suggesting introduction with imported material. The small size of most of the Belgian pine stands may also explain the absence or apparently transient status, or rareness of Monochamus spp. This study thus suggests that surveys in Belgium should privilege entry points rather than local forest stands.

Journal of Pest ScienceVol. 99(2)
FOD Volksgezondheid, Veiligheid van de Voedselketen en Leefmilieu
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 22%
Forest Insect Ecology and Management
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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