''Corythucha arcuata'', the oak lace bug, is a species of

Tingidae The Tingidae are a family of very small () insects in the order Hemiptera that are commonly referred to as lace bugs. This group is distributed worldwide with about 2,000 described species. They are called lace bugs because the pronotum and for ...

that is a pest of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s. It is native to the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

, and was first observed in Europe in 2000.

Pest status

A decade after its introduction to Europe, it began to spread rapidly, and has now become a major

invasive pest An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

in over 20 EU countries, where it forms large infestations on several oak species, and often does considerable damage, such that negative long-term effects on oak health and survival are expected.Williams, D., Hoch, G., Csóka, G., de Groot, M., Hradil, K., Chireceanu, C., Hrašovec, B., & Castagneyrol, B. (2021). ''Corythucha arcuata'' (Heteroptera, Tingidae): Evaluation of the pest status in Europe and development of survey, control and management strategies (OLBIE). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4898795Hoch, G., Stemmelen, A., Eötvös, C. B., Hinterstoisser, W., Lanšćak, M., Stojnić, S., Tóth, M., Westergren, M., Zidar, S., Zlatković, M., Zoric, N., & de Groot, M. (2024). Infestation intensity by the invasive oak lace bug, ''Corythucha arcuata'' (Say) in mixed and pure oak stands. Journal of Applied Entomology, 148, 26–33. https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.13205 As of 2023, prospects for control of this invasive pest were considered poor, with projections that a continual spread across Europe is inevitable unless control can be achieved. While there is at least one potential

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically als ...

agent known from its native range in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

(an egg parasitoid mymarid waspPuttler, B. & Bailey, W. & Triapitsyn, S.. (2014). Notes on distribution, host associations, and bionomics of ''Erythmelus klopomor'' Triapitsyn (Hymenoptera, Mymaridae), an egg parasitoid of lace bugs in Missouri, USA, with particular reference to its primary host ''Corythucha arcuata'' (Say)(Hemiptera, Tingidae). ''Journal of Entomological and Acarological Research'' 46: 30-34. doi:10.4081/jear.2014.1857), there are no known predators or parasites in Europe.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5173805 Tingidae Insects described in 1832 Hemiptera of North America Insect pests of temperate forests Taxa named by Thomas Say