First record and DNA barcoding of the fig gall wasp Josephiella microcarpae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae) in Greece

The Chinese banyan, Ficus microcarpa is an ornamental fig tree, widely planted throughout Southern Greece. Native to Asian – Australasian regions, it can be found in plazas, parks, roadsides as well as private gardens. Along with its host, various insect species have managed to follow and establish themselves outside of their native range. In Rhodes, the mass defoliation of an emblematic fig tree, led to the subsequent finding of Josephiella microcarpae infestation. Repetitive samplings in the following years confirmed the establishment of the species on the island, which constitutes the first record of this species in Greece. Collected specimens from Rhodes and Cyprus were sequenced for the COI DNA barcoding region. Further investigation of fig trees throughout various locations in Southern Greece, proved fruitless. Based on our findings, the distribution of J. microcarpae in Greece seems restricted in the city of Rhodes.