Thaumastocoris australicus Kirkaldy (Heteroptera : Thaumastocoridae) : a new insect arrival in South Africa, damaging to Eucalyptustrees : research in action

The insect thaumastocoris australicus Kirkaldy is reported from South Africa, where it probably is a recent arrival from Australia. The species was originally described from Queensland, but in recent years has taken on pest proportions on some local and planted Eucalyptus species in Sydney, New South Wales. In Gauteng province, South Africa, these gregarious, leaf-sucking bugs primarily infest introduced river red gum trees (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh.), causing, or contributing to, discoloration of the leaves, dieback of branches or mortality of entire trees. Several other Eucalyptus species also serve as hosts for T. australicus and some are heavily infested and severely damaged. There are confirmed reports of their presence in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West provinces but they are possibly already widely distributed in South Africa. Their known distribution in Australia and the localities where they already thrive in South Africa suggest that few climatic regions in southern Africa would be unsuitable for the bugs. The mature and immature insects are of nuisance value and are irritating and hard to dislodge when they fall onto people from infested trees. The possible threats to forestry and beekeeping industries have not been evaluated, but are potentially severe. No effective control measures currently exist and no insecticides have been registered for use against the pest.