A first record of insects harmful to Medicago strasseri, a shrub endemic on Crete
Medicago strasseri Greuter, Matthäs & Risse belongs to one of the three shrubby species of the genus Medicago and is endemic of Crete. As its biotopes are localized in canyons and cliffs except at one islet being at the NW side of Herakleion city it is characterized as an obligatory chasmophyte. Seven taxa of insects harmful for M. strasseri have been recorded for first time worldwide in the context of the present study. The following: Icerya purchasi Maskell (Homoptrera: Margarodidae), Bruchidius sp. Ol. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), Apion sp., (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Aphis craccivora Koch (Homoptera: Aphididae), Thysanoptera, Lepidoptera και Diptera. I. purchasi was found to attack twigs, Bruchidius sp. seeds and Thysanoptera was found inside flowers. A. craccivora, Apion, Lepidoptera and Diptera attacked leaves. Further research should be carried out in order to study the biology and the harm caused by the observed species to M. strasseri as the populations of this species are limited and, according to IUCN criteria, considered as a vulnerable species (VU).
1Agricultural Directorate of Evritania, 1, Zographou str., 36 100 Karpenissi, Greece 2Laboratory of Systematic Botany – Weed management, School of Agricultural Technology, ΤΕΙ of Crete, P.O.Box 140, 71110 Heraklion, Crete, Greece 3Laboratory of Agricultural Zoology and Entomology, Agricultural University of Athens 75, Iera Odos, Athens, Greece
Keywords:Medicago strasseri, Iserya purchasi, Aphis craccivora, Bruchidius, Apion
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Book:RANGE SCIENCE AND PROTECTED AREAS - Proceedings of the 6th Panhellenic Rangeland Congress in Leonidio Arcadia Peloponnesus, 2-4 October 2008 (Edited by: Konstantinos Th. Mantzanas, Vasillios P. Papanastasis)
