Harmonia axyridis (Pallas 1773)

Drăghici, Andreea-Cătălina, Pintilioaie, Alexandru-Mihai, Murariu, Dumitru, Manci, Cosmin-Ovidiu & Ruzzier, Enrico, 2025, New additions and further records of non-native Coleoptera in Romania, Zootaxa 5575 (3), pp. 409-428 : 420

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5575.3.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4B1C253B-95F1-4F55-8EA1-F311AB52A6A2
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14747194
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F687B8-A325-5626-7F94-395BFBFAFAA9
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Harmonia axyridis (Pallas 1773)
status

Treatment

Materials examined. Bacău County: Târgu Ocna, 46.2808°N / 26.6103°E, 23. V.2023, photo by Alexandru-Mihai Pintilioaie (1 specimen, not collected); Bacău County: ComăneȘti, 46.4261°N / 26.4432°E, 10.VIII.2023, photo by Alexandru-Mihai Pintilioaie (1 exuvia, not collected); Constanța County: near Ion Corvin, 44.0868°N / 27.8136°E, under bark of dead Ulmus in 25.III.2022, photo by Cosmin-Ovidiu Manci (several tens of specimens, not collected); Constanța County: “Dunele Marine de la Agigea” Nature Reserve, 44.0876°N / 28.6422°E, 5.XI.2023, photo by Alexandru-Mihai Pintilioaie (1 specimen, not collected); same location, 1.XII.2023, photo by Alexandru-Mihai Pintilioaie (1 specimen, not collected); Dolj county: near Zăval: Zăval Forest, 43.8394°N / 23.8478°E, 30. V.2023, photo by Cosmin-Ovidiu Manci (several specimens, not collected); Ilfov county: BucureȘti, 44.4142°N / 26.1890°E, 14.XI.2023, photo by Alexandru-Mihai Pintilioaie (1 specimen, not collected); Neamț county: Poiana Teiului, 47.1150°N / 25.9253°E, 20. V.2023, photo by Alexandru-Mihai Pintilioaie (1 specimen, not collected); same place, 4.VIII.2023, photo by Alexandru-Mihai Pintilioaie (1 exuvia, not collected); TimiȘ county: near Sânandrei, 45.8305°N / 21.1871°E, larvae on Populus and Salix eatings aphids in 3. VI.2023, photo by Cosmin-Ovidiu Manci (several specimens, not collected).

Remarks. Originally from Northeast Asia ( Sasaji 1971), now cosmopolitan. Introduced in Europe as a biological control agent for pest insects, including aphids and scale insects (cf. Iperti & Bertand 2001; Cornacchia & Nardi 2012), this species has since spread and increased in number dramatically, evolving into an invasive species ( Roy et al. 2006). In Romania, it was first recorded by Ruicănescu & Alexandru (2009). Currently, it is a widespread species across the country; however, there are few published records of its current distribution.