THE RED PALM WEEVIL IN SICILY: THE INTRODUCTION AND SPREAD OF AN INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES

The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a pest from Southeast Asia accidentally introduced into North Africa and Europe two decades ago. In Sicily, RPW was recorded for the first time in 2005, then, in few years, it established becoming the most severe pest of ornamental palm species in urban, monumental and country areas. In this paper, we first report the history of its introduction and spread. Then, we reviewed the preventative and curative strategies that have been implemented with variable degrees of success in containing the invasive alien pest. Finally, we focus on the development of new strategies to detect early infestations and to prevent or contain RPW attacks.