Volume 108, Issue s1 - Special Issue: Invasive Species Records and Updates (ctd. from FLAENT 107-s1); Guest Editor: Muhammad Ahmed

For the years 1990–2023, we compile a list of adventive arthropods found in situations indicating establishment in Florida, as recorded by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI) through various publications and other official media outlets. As the center for regulatory entomology in Florida with a strength for arthropod identification in the southeastern United States, FDACS-DPI collaborates with multiple regional agencies (government, university, and private) to find and recognize adventive taxa in the region. These collaborating agencies all have a common goal to respond rapidly with any regulatory or mitigative actions needed to manage newly discovered invasive pests. The list presented here contains 450 adventive species of arthropods, 291 (64.7 %) of which are new Continental United States or Western Hemisphere records, and 162 (36.0 %) of which are considered invasive pests. Hemiptera (152 species) had the most species, followed by Coleoptera (75 species), the combined mite orders (71 species), and Lepidoptera (53 species). These data are compared to other states (Hawaii and California) which also have high numbers of adventive species, noting trends in total numbers for these different regions by decade, starting in 1900. Reasons for the apparent increase of adventive species into Florida over recent decades are discussed. Each of the 450 species has a brief account containing references to the original documentation of the record, suspected region of origin, and comments on its status, hosts, or recent history in Florida. We hope these data foster further work on adventive arthropods in Florida.

As global agricultural systems face increasing challenges from pest pressures and environmental degradation, a paradigm shift towards more sustainable and resilient practices is imperative. The field of biosecurity, encompassing strategic and integrated approaches to managing risks to human, other animal, and plant life, has gained prominence as globalization facilitates the movement and spread of invasive species. This paper presents a comprehensive biosecurity framework that seamlessly integrates integrated pest management (IPM) strategies with sustainability principles to enhance the effectiveness of pest control strategies. By combining proactive and preventive measures, biosecurity practices, and IPM methodologies, we can create a holistic approach to safeguarding ecosystems, agriculture, and public health. This review outlines the key components of the biosecurity framework, benefits, challenges, and practical applications of incorporating IPM into biosecurity measures.

The introduction of cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) (Family: Solemoviridae, Genus: Polerovirus) into the southeastern U.S. Cotton Belt has prompted research into understanding the epidemiology, including identification of potential insect vectors. Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are vectors of cotton-infecting poleroviruses. Of the eight aphid species reported to feed on cotton in the U.S., only Aphis gossypii Glover has been reported to transmit the phloem-limited virus, CLRDV, to cotton. Population dynamics of alatae aphids and additional information regarding CLRDV spread throughout the year may help identify other vector species. Using insect traps to monitor populations of these aphids is more effective for the seven species that are seldom observed, or difficult to sample because they feed underground on roots. However, current identification keys for aphids rely on using apterous colonies already infesting known host plants or are not specific to cotton fields. Here, we present a modified key for identifying cotton infesting aphids captured in pan traps around agricultural fields in the southeastern U.S., including A . gossypii, Protaphis middletonii Thomas, Aphis craccivora Koch, Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale Sasaki , Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas , Myzus persicae Sulzer , Aphis fabae Scopoli, and Smythurodes betae Westwood. Pictures are provided to aid in the identification of these species.

Recent surveys of bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Florida, both in natural environments and in collections, allowed us to record species new to the state or the continent, clarify the taxonomic status of rarely studied species, and propose taxonomic changes. Five new synonymys are proposed: Dryocoetoides vexans (Schedl, 1972) (= Dryocoetoides reticulatus Atkinson, 2009 syn. nov. ); Hypothenemus atomus Hopkins, 1915 (= Stephanoderes buscki Hopkins, 1915 syn. nov. ); Hypothenemus californicus Hopkins, 1915 (= Stephanoderes gossypii Hopkins, 1915, syn. nov. , Hypothenemus beameri Wood, 1954, syn. nov. ); Xyleborinus gracilis (Eichhoff, 1868) (= Xyleborus quercus Hopkins, 1915: p. 63 syn. nov. ). Hypothenemus brunneus (Hopkins, 1915) stat. res. and Monarthrum praeustum (Eggers, 1941) stat. res. are removed from synonymy and reinstated as valid species. Ambrosiophilus osumiensis (Murayama, 1934) is reported for the first time in Florida. New records to the continental United States are reported for four species: Chramesus annectens (Wood, 1956) (native to Mexico), Hypothenemus suspectus Wood, 1974 (native to Central and South America), Hypothenemus villosus Bright, 2019, Monarthrum praeustum (Eggers, 1941), and Xyleborinus subgranulatus (Eggers, 1930).

The New Guinea flatworm ( Platydemus manokwari de Beauchamp) (Tricladida: Geoplanidae), recognized in the Global Invasive Species Database as one of the 100 worst invasive species, was first observed in Florida in 2012 and documented in 2015. Since that time, P. manokwari populations have spread into numerous urban and natural environments throughout Florida. Here we report on the status of P. manokwari populations in 38 conserved native forests (tropical hardwood hammocks) with information on their geographic distribution and densities in the Miami Rock Ridge area of Southeast Florida. Using night-quadrat surveys, we found P. manokwari populations in each of the 38 protected hardwood hammocks sampled, having a mean density of 0.39 individuals per 1-m 2 (SD 0.39, 95 % CI 0.26–0.52). We provide evidence that this invasive flatworm species has become established within these hammocks, found on a variety of forest substrates and consuming invertebrate prey, including terrestrial and arboreal gastropods, annelids, and arthropods. These hammocks then serve as foci for further spread of these flatworms. The appearance of P. manokwari has been correlated with the decline and local disappearance of native communities of tree snails in South Florida, following a trend seen in Pacific islands where P. manokwari has contributed to the extinction of endemic snail species. Further research is needed to determine the best methods for management, control, and eradication of the New Guinea flatworm.

The armored scale insect Diaspis boisduvalii (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) has been observed affecting horticulturally grown and wild plants worldwide including orchids. Gaining an understanding of the diet breadth and infestation level of such herbivores on threatened wild orchid populations can raise awareness of their impacts and better guide conservation management. In 2022, we surveyed orchid-dense regions at the Everglades National Park (ENP), Big Cypress National Preserve (BCNP), and Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (FSPSP) in Florida, USA. All orchid species within the surveyed areas were identified, inspected, and individual plants were given a score of D . boisduvalii relative abundance. Six of the 23 orchid species (Orchidaceae) inspected were infested with the scale. These were Bletia purpurea (Lamarck) A.DC. (17 % of surveyed individuals infested), Cyrtopodium punctatum (L.) Lindley (15.8 %), Dendrophylax lindenii (Lindl.) Benth. ex Rolfe (1.8 %), Encyclia tampensis (Lindley) Small (14 %), Prosthechea boothiana (Lindl.) W.E. Higgins (20 %), and Prosthechea cochleate (L.) W.E. Higgins (0.3 %). All affected species except E . tampensis were of endangered or threatened species status in Florida. Overall, the scale infested a greater percentage of orchids in the ENP than that in BCNP and FSPSP. We speculate that the Boisduval scale is most likely an introduced species, a hypothesis supported by historical specimen records. However, the presence of cryptic species could render these historical data misleading. Native origin and impact of D .  boisduvalii on wild populations need further research to understand fully. This is one of very few studies of the ecology of an armored scale insect species in a natural environment.