CLASSICAL BIOLOGICAL-CONTROL OF PALAEOCOCCUS-FUSCIPENNIS (BURMEISTER)(HOMOPTERA, MARGARODIDAE) IN ISRAEL

Palaeococcus fuscipennis (Burmeister) (Homoptera: Margarodidae) is rar ely observed in pine forests in Mediterranean and Central European cou ntries. It was discovered in Israel in 1990 in a single pine stand in Nahal 'Iron (northern Samaria). Between the time of its detection and the summer of 1996, the scale insect had spread to the NE and NW, infe sting 1300 ha of forest of Pinus brutia ssp. brutia Tenore, P. halepen sis Miller, P. pinea L., and P. canariensis C. Smith. Infested trees w ere covered with honeydew and with stems and crowns displaying thick l ayers of sooty mold. Association of the scale with several predacious arthropods, including large populations of the coccinellid Rodolia car dinalis Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), failed to reduce its popu lation level and spread to new plantations. In 1994 and 1995 two speci fic natural enemies of P. fuscipennis, the coccinellid Novius cruentat us Mulsant and the parasitoid Cryptochetum jorgepastori Cadahia (Dipte ra: Cryptochetidae), were introduced from ''Marismas del Dial Nature R eserve'' SE of Huelva in southern Spain and released at a single site in 'Iron forest in Nahal 'Iron. In the summer of 1996, both enemies we re detected over most of the range of the pest. A large decrease in th e pest's population density and in the sooty mold cover was observed a t the site of release of its natural enemies. Our findings suggest tha t N. cruentatus is the major contributor so far to the population redu ction of P. fuscipennis. (C) 1998 Academic Press.