Contribution to the knowledge of the Italian scale insect fauna.

Since the publication of the previous list of Italian scale insects, dated 2005, the number of species occurring both on mainland and insular Italy has increased due to new findings of autochthonous species, the description of new recorded taxa or as a result of the incidental introduction of alien species, some of which presently established. Faunistic lists requires regular updates, for this reason a renewed check list of Italian scale insects is given. This revised and updated list of Italian scale insects includes the data of native and alien species recorded up to 31 December 2018. The Italian peninsula is characterized by a wide range of climatic parameters and habitats, that obviously influence the species distribution. Moreover, islands can host endemic species. For this reason the Italian scale insects have been assessed depending on whether a species has been recorded from North Italy (N), Central and South Italy (S), Sicily (Si) and Sardinia (Sa). An asterisk marks the alien introduced species, some of which are restricted to artificial condition such greenhouses or botanical gardens. Their geographic origin is also reported. A capital “I” marks just intercepted species. The incidental introduction of alien species has increased in the last years, with detrimental effects for the local ecosystems and in some cases posing a threat to ornamentals, fruit and forest trees. Information on recent alien scale insect outbreaks is also reported.