Zelus renardii

Heyden, Torsten Van Der, 2021, On the recent Northern European dispersion of Zelus renardii Kolenati (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) via human activity, Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 51, pp. 43-46 : 44-45

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The findings of single specimens of Z. renardii in Denmark, Germany and England mentioned in this paper are the first ones for the respective countries. They have to be considered isolated records, found more or less far away from other European records of the species: Jerup is located in northern Denmark, Teningen in southwest Germany (van der Heyden 2021), Low Lorton in the north-western part of England, near the Scottish border. All three specimens were found indoors. Very likely, two of them were introduced via the transport of grapes from Italy and Greece, respectively, as they were found on grapes imported from these countries and bought in supermarkets (van der Heyden 2021; P. Williams, pers. comm.). The specimen found in Low Lorton had accidentally been placed with the grapes in a refrigerator for several days before it was discovered alive on the stalk (P. Williams, pers. comm.)

As long as only single specimens of Z. renardii are introduced to regions located in the northern part of Western Europe or in Northern Europe via human activity, it is unlikely that the species will be able to establish itself in these regions. On the other hand, the climate conditions, for example in Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom, might be suitable for the species to spread from the Mediterranean Region, its main European distribution area, northwards. The optimal temperature for the larval development is about 25–30 °C ( Pinzari et al. 2018), but it might be possible that nymphs reach the adult stage at lower temperatures ( Rattu & Dioli 2020). Further research on the distribution of Z. renardii in European regions north of the Mediterranean Region might lead to more knowledge on the issue.