Biological invasion by the cycad‐specific scale pest Aulacaspis yasumatsui ( Diaspididae ) into Cycas revoluta ( Cycadaceae ) populations on Amami‐Oshima and Okinawa ‐jima, Japan

A recent biological invasion by the cycad-specific scale pest Aulacaspis yasumatsui threatens wild populations of Cycas revoluta, Japan's only native cycad, on Amami-Oshima and Okinawa-jima islands. This invasive species, originally from southeastern Asia, causes significant mortality in non-adapted cycad populations, with potential ecological impacts still understudied. The research highlights the urgent need for monitoring the pest's spread and evaluating biological control methods using native predators. Given C. revoluta's known genetic diversity, establishing in situ and ex situ conservation colonies is recommended to preserve its genetic composition if populations decline.

Deloso, B. E., Gutiérrez‐Ortega, J. S., Chang, J.-T., Ito‐Inaba, Y., Lindström, A. J., Terry, L. I., Donaldson, J., Tang, W., Cave, R. D., Gómez‐Díaz, J. A., Handley, V. M., Griffith, M. P., & Marler, T. E. (2025). Biological invasion by the cycad‐specific scale pest Aulacaspis yasumatsui ( Diaspididae ) into Cycas revoluta ( Cycadaceae ) populations on Amami‐Oshima and Okinawa ‐jima, Japan. Plant Species Biology, 40(4), 280–291. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/1442-1984.12505