Entomology, Ornithology & Herpetology: Current Research
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0983
+44 1478 350008
ISSN: 2161-0983
+44 1478 350008
Halil Ibrahimi, Iva Mihoci, Vlatka Micetic Stankovic and Mladen Kucinic
Accepted Abstracts: Entomol Ornithol Herpetol
The native Asiatic Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) once introduced in Europe as a biological control agent now is considered one of the most serious invasive species on the planet, creating a risk to non target species. It was assessed to have almost the highest environmental risk index in biological control in Europe and since 2002 is spreading rapidly in the continent. Until recently there have been scarce records of Harlequin ladybird in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. In this paper we report first records of the species in three Balkan countries: the Republic of Kosovo, the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Macedonia. The species was collected by light trapping during the night, entomological net and handpicking during the day in all three color forms in different habitats. There is no deliberate introduction in this area and if further investigations show stable populations in these countries we can conclude that harlequin ladybird has already invaded the whole southeastern Europe.
Halil Ibrahimi has completed his Ph.D. from University of Zagreb, Croatia. He is working as Professor Assistant in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the University of Prishtina. He has published several papers in national and international journals related to caddisfly taxonomy and biogeography and freshwater ecosystem monitoring.