Pest categorisation of Shirahoshizo flavonotatus

Bragard, Claude [UCL] Baptista, Paula Chatzivassiliou, Elisavet Di Serio, Francesco Gonthier, Paolo Jaques Miret, Josep Anton Justesen, Annemarie Fejer Magnusson, Christer Sven Milonas, Panagiotis Navas‐Cortes, Juan A. Parnell, Stephen Potting, Roel Reignault, Philippe Lucien Stefani, Emilio Thulke, Hans‐Hermann Van der Werf, Wopke Vicent Civera, Antonio Yuen, Jonathan Zappalà, Lucia Grégoire, Jean‐Claude Malumphy, Chris Gobbi, Alex Kertesz, Virag Maiorano, Andrea Sfyra, Oresteia MacLeod, Alan et al.[show all]

The EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Shirahoshizo patruelis (Voss, 1937) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), following the commodity risk assessment of bonsai plants from China consisting of Pinus parviflora grafted on P. thunbergii, in which S. patruelis was identified as a pest of possible concern to the European Union (EU). This categorisation refers to S. flavonotatus, which is the pest's current valid scientific name. It is native to China and has never been recorded in the EU. It completes from 2 to 3 generations per year. Eggs are laid in cracks and crevices of trunks and branches with bark thickness of approximately 0.6–1.2 cm. The pest overwinters as an adult or as a mature larva under the bark. Plants for planting, wood with bark and wood products provide pathways for entry. Although the weevil has been reported to carry the nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, it is not considered a vector. Climatic conditions and availability of host plants in some EU countries would allow S. flavonotatus to establish and spread. Impact on Pinus spp. is anticipated. Recognising that the weevil is reported to attack both weakened and healthy trees, there is uncertainty on the magnitude of impact. Its recorded capacity to attack non‐Asian Pinus species also indicates its ability to adapt and expand the range of trees it can utilise as hosts, which could include European Pinus species. Phytosanitary measures are available to reduce the likelihood of entry and spread. S. flavonotatus meets the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for this species to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest.