NEW DISTRIBUTION RECORDS OF MATSUCOCCUS-JOSEPHI AND PINEUS-PINI (HOMOPTERA) ON PINE TREES IN PARTS OF THE NEAR-EAST

Information is presented on new occurrences of two homopteran pests, M atsucoccus josephi Bodenheimer et Harpaz (Matsucoccidae) and Pineus pi ni (Macquart) (Adelgidae), in Israel, Jordan and southern Lebanon. M. josephi occurs in Israel in almost all natural relicts of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis). It infests all plantations of Aleppo pine, brutia pine (Pinus brutia ssp. brutia) and Eldar pine (P. brutia ssp. eldaric a) north of 31-degrees-12' lat. N. Heavy damage has been observed in t he Judean Foothills, Judean Mts. and northern Samaria. M. josephi and its specific predator, Elatophilus hebraicus Pericart (Hemiptera: Anth ocoridae), are recorded for the first time in Jordan and southern Leba non. The scale was found in all visited Aleppo pine and brutia pine st ands in Jordan and in natural and planted brutia pine in southeastern Lebanon. Damage by M. josephi in Jordan was observed only in young pla ntations of Aleppo pine; in Lebanon no signs of injury were recorded. P. pini was found for the first time in Jordan, where it causes severe damage to young stands of Aleppo pine and stone pine (Pinus pinea).