Impact of insects damaging seed cones of cypress, Cupressus sempervirens, in natural stands and plantations of southeastern Europe

A total of 18 stands of Cupressus sempervirens L. (Cupressaceae) were surve yed in the natural Greek range (plus one stand in Turkey) during 1994-1996 in order to identify the pests of seed cones and assess their impact on see d survival. Naturalised stands of mainland Greece, Albania and Malta were s ampled for comparison. The cone entomofauna (seven insect and one mite spec ies) did not differ between the native and introduced ranges of cypress. A tortricid, Pseudococcyx tessulatana (Lepidoptera:Tortricidae:) and a mite, Trisetacus juniperinus (Acari:Nalepelllidae), were the most damaging pests because they usually killed cones during the growth period. A more intensiv e survey of damage together with cone development in four Greek stands show ed that only 11-37 % of the initial cones survived until maturity. The seed crop decreased by 78-95 %. Pests, predominantly tortricid larvae, mites an d Orsillus seed bugs (Hemiptera:Lygaeidae), were responsible for 41-84 % of that decrease according to the stand. ((C) Inra/Elsevier, Paris.).