First record of adventive species Monoxia obesula Blake, 1939 in Greece

Abstract

Monoxia obesula, a species native to the U.S.A. and adventive in western Mediterranean, is recorded in Greece for the first time. In 2022, one female specimen was collected on Théra Island (Santorini Archipelago, Aegean Sea), becoming the easternmost Mediterranean record. Host plants are Amaranthaceae species, particularly Atriplex halimus occurring in saline habitats. The presence of Monoxia obesula in Greece is alarming because it spreads its occurrence towards the eastern Mediterranean and may therefore pose a significant danger for Atriplex halimus stands.