Distribution of the invasive jewel beetle Lamprodila festiva (Linnaeus, 1767) (Buprestidae) in Prague

Abstract

Among the beetles from the family Buprestidae, there are quite a few significant pests of trees. One such pest is the roughly 1 cm long, metallic green jewel beetle Lamprodila (Palmar) festiva, which has spread across Europe over the past decade. Until recently, a protected species in some states, is now significantly damaging ornamental conifers from the Cupressaceae family. The cause of its dramatically expanded distribution area is believed to be the high introduction of ornamental trees into urban areas, combined with their weakening due to drought and global warming. The beetle is predominantly found in urban areas with an abundance of exotic trees. Its occurrence in Prague was first recorded in 2017. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of this pest's spread in the territory of the City of Prague and further observe its habitat preferences. Data collection was
conducted in 2023-2024. Infested trees were sought based on orange crowns or the absence of assimilation organs together with the presence of typical oval exit holes on the trunk. A total of 729 infested trees were found, 572 of which were living trees and 157 were dead trees. The jewel beetle preferred trees well exposed to sunlight (77 %). The majority of infested trees belonged to the species Thuja occidentalis (94 %), in addition to which infested trees of the species Juniperus communis, Juniperus virginiana, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, and Cupressus nootkatensis were also found. The collected data were presented according to the location found in 22 administrative districts of the City of Prague. The highest number of infested trees was found in the administrative district Prague 4.

Keywords

jewel beetle, Lamprodila festiva, Buprestidae, Prague, Czech Republic

Fulltext

Rozšíření invazního krásce Lamprodila festiva (Linnaeus, 1767) (Buprestidae) v Praze