Page 24 - Volume 4, Issue 2, July 2011

1

Emeritus Professor at Agricultural University of Ath-

ens, 52 Agias Varvaras Str., GR-152 31 Halandri (Ath-

ens), Greece

2

Laboratory of Chemistry, Department of Science, Ag-

ricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos Str., GR-

118 55 Athens, Greece

Corresponding author:

epaev@mac.com

Hellenic Plant Protection Journal

4:

53-56, 2011

SHORT COMMUNICATION

First record of

Lixus umbellatarum

Fabricius (Coleoptera:

Curculionidae) in Greece, on the medicinal herb

Opopanax

chironium

C.Th. Buchelos

1

and E. Evergetis

2

Summary

In summer 2004, adults of a Coleopteran species were observed piercing with their ros-

trum the stems of the plant

Opopanax chironium

at an altitude of 1850 m on Parnassus Mountain. Upon

insect’s feeding, the effused sap of the plant turned into droplets of a resinous fluid which is known to

have pharmaceutical and other useful properties. The insect was identified as

Lixus umbellatarum

Fab-

ricius of the Curculionidae family and it is recorded for the first time in Greece.

Additional keywords

: Apiaceae, Coleoptera, Greece, Panacea, Panax, Umbelliferae

ple was found to be totally devoured by the

recorded weevil which had been acciden-

tally introduced into the sample and sur-

vived in -22

o

C for about a two month peri-

od. In mid April of 2008, when the

Opopanax

In summer 2004,

Opopanax

sp. plants were

observed on the northwest (NW) side of

Mount Parnassus, Greece to bare

light-or-

ange coloured droplets of a resinous liq-

uid on their stems lengthwise, in a rather

straight line and regular distance between

them. Because of the late season, the plants

carried only mature umbels; therefore prop-

er identification of the taxon was not possi-

ble. In May 2006, the droplets observed on

the

Opopanax

sp. plants were associated

with an adult weevil, which was found at the

same site to feed on the stem, causing effu-

sion of the sap (Fig.1). At that time, a plant

specimen was collected in order to form a

proper herbarium for its definite identifica-

tion. After the ordinary procedure, which

included drying and disinfestations at low

temperatures, the plant sample was stored

among the other Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)

collections of the Agricultural University of

Athens (AUA). One year later, the plant sam-

Figure 1.

Lixus umbellatarum

feeding on

Opopanax chironi-

um

stem.