Identification Of Invasive Insects In Albania And The Assessment Of Their Potential Impact To The Country Biodiversity

Albania, whose territory comprises many types of habitats and is characterised by a rich biological diversity, is particularly vulnerable to the threats posed by invasive species. In this regard, we have done this study to assess the extent of the threats posed by alien invasive insects. Invasive insects have been introduced intentionally or unintentionally for centuries. The process has accelerated during recent decades with the growth in transport, trade, travel, tourism and globalisation in general. These activities provide vectors and pathways for live insects and biological material to cross biogeographically barriers that would usually block their way. Invasive species arc now considered to be the second cause of global biodiversity loss after direct habitat destruction and have adverse environmental, economic and social impacts from the local level upwards. From our study there are 21 invasive insects introduced in our country with seeds and different kinds of plant transport. In our analysis we see that insects represent the biggest group of invasive species for Albania composed by 21 species followed by fishes with 18 species, mammals with 5 species and nematodes, mollusks, decapods with, respectively, 1 species in each group. In general the impact of invasive insects is not well quantified in their environmental and economic terms and correct management to reduce their impact is limited. In this paper we describe the presence and risk of the following species of invasive insects: Acanthosceliedes obtectus S ay., Aedes (stegomyia) albopictus S k u s e., Bemisia tabaci G e n n a d i u s., Bothynoderes punctiventris G e r m., Callosobruchus chinensis L., Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann., Cirphis unipuncta H a w o t h.; Cydia molesta B u s c k., Heliothis armigera H u b n e r., Hyphantria cunea Drury., Laphygma exigua Hubner., Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say., Pectinophora gossypiella Saunders., Phthorinzaea operculella Zeller., Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton., Quadraspidiotus perniciosus Comstock., Sitophilus calandra zeamais Motsch., Trialeurodes vaporariorum West w., Trogoderma granarium Everts., Vasates lycopersici Kei fen, Viteus vitifoliae Fitch.