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Pest categorisation of Phenacoccus solenopsis

Abstract The EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Phenacoccus solenopsis (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) for the European Union (EU) territory. This species is not included in EU Commission Implementing Regulation 2019/2072. P. solenopsis is native to North America and has spread to all continents except Antarctica. It has recently been reported from Cyprus, Greece and Italy. This mealybug is a polyphagous pest, feeding on about 300 plant species. It usually feeds on aerial plant parts, especially new growth, but also occurs on roots, and is often associated with ants. It is an economically important pest of ornamentals, such as hibiscus and lantana, glasshouse vegetable crops, mainly bell pepper, tomato and eggplant, and field crops, such as cotton. Large populations cause die‐back and reduction in yield. Adult and immature P. solenopsis could enter the EU with imported fresh fruit, vegetables and cut flowers, although the main pathway of introduction is likely to be plants for planting. Host availability and climate suitability indicate that most of the EU would be suitable for establishment. The main natural dispersal stage is the first instar, which crawls over the plant or may be dispersed further by wind and animals. All stages may be transported over longer distances in trade. Phytosanitary measures are available and should prevent further introductions and slow the spread within the EU. P. solenopsis is under official control in Cyprus and has recently been reported in Greece and Italy. Assuming that these reports reflect a limited distribution, and P. solenopsis shortly comes under official control, it would satisfy all the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest.


. Background
The new Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, on the protective measures against pests of plants, is applying from 14 December 2019. Conditions are laid down in this legislation in order for pests to qualify for listing as Union quarantine pests, protected zone quarantine pests or Union regulated non-quarantine pests. The lists of the EU regulated pests together with the associated import or internal movement requirements of commodities are included in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. Additionally, as stipulated in the Commission Implementing Regulation 2018/2019, certain commodities are provisionally prohibited to enter in the EU (high risk plants, HRP). EFSA is performing the risk assessment of the dossiers submitted by exporting to the EU countries of the HRP commodities, as stipulated in Commission Implementing Regulation 2018/2018. Furthermore, EFSA has evaluated a number of requests from exporting to the EU countries for derogations from specific EU import requirements.
In line with the principles of the new plant health law, the European Commission with the Member States are discussing monthly the reports of the interceptions and the outbreaks of pests notified by the Member States. Notifications of an imminent danger from pests that may fulfil the conditions for inclusion in the list of the Union quarantine pest are included. Furthermore, EFSA has been performing horizon scanning of media and literature.
As a follow-up of the above-mentioned activities (reporting of interceptions and outbreaks, HRP, derogation requests and horizon scanning), a number of pests of concern have been identified. EFSA is requested to provide scientific opinions for these pests, in view of their potential inclusion by the risk manager in the lists of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 and the inclusion of specific import requirements for relevant host commodities, when deemed necessary by the risk manager.

Terms of Reference
EFSA is requested, pursuant to Article 29(1) of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, to provide scientific opinions in the field of plant health.
EFSA is requested to deliver 53 pest categorisations for the pests listed in Annex 1A, 1B, 1D and 1E (for more details see mandate M-2021-00027 on the Open.EFSA portal). Additionally, EFSA is requested to perform pest categorisations for the pests so far not regulated in the EU, identified as pests potentially associated with a commodity in the commodity risk assessments of the HRP dossiers (Annex 1C; for more details see mandate M-2021-00027 on the Open.EFSA portal). Such pest categorisations are needed in the case where there are not available risk assessments for the EU.
When the pests of Annex 1A are qualifying as potential Union quarantine pests, EFSA should proceed to phase 2 risk assessment. The opinions should address entry pathways, spread, establishment, impact and include a risk reduction options analysis.
Additionally, EFSA is requested to develop further the quantitative methodology currently followed for risk assessment, in order to have the possibility to deliver an express risk assessment methodology. Such methodological development should take into account the EFSA Plant Health Panel Guidance on quantitative pest risk assessment and the experience obtained during its implementation for the Union candidate priority pests and for the likelihood of pest freedom at entry for the commodity risk assessment of High Risk Plants.

Interpretation of the Terms of Reference
Phenacoccus solenopsis is one of a number of pests listed in Annex 1 to the Terms of Reference (ToR) (Section 1.1.2) to be subject to pest categorisation to determine whether it fulfils the criteria of a regulated pest for the area of the EU excluding Ceuta, Melilla and the outermost regions of Member States referred to in Article 355(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), other than Madeira and the Azores, and so inform European Commission decision-making as to its appropriateness for potential inclusion in the lists of pests of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. If a pest fulfils the criteria to be potentially listed as a regulated pest, specific import requirements for relevant host commodities will be identified; for pests already present in the EU additional risk reduction options to slow spread and facilitate eradication will be identified.

2.
Data and methodologies 2.1. Data 2.1.1. Literature search A literature search on Phenacoccus solenopsis was conducted at the beginning of the categorisation in the ISI Web of Science bibliographic database, using the scientific name of the pest as search term. Papers relevant for the pest categorisation were reviewed, and further references and information were obtained from experts, as well as from citations within the references and grey literature.

Database search
Pest information, on host(s) and distribution, was retrieved from the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) Global Database (EPPO, online), the CABI databases and scientific literature databases as referred above in Section 2.1.1.
Data about the import of commodity types that could potentially provide a pathway for the pest to enter the EU and about the area of hosts grown in the EU were obtained from EUROSTAT (Statistical Office of the European Communities).
The Europhyt and TRACES databases were consulted for pest-specific notifications on interceptions and outbreaks. Europhyt is a web-based network run by the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANT E) of the European Commission and is a subproject of PHYSAN (Phyto-Sanitary Controls) specifically concerned with plant health information. TRACES is the European Commission's multilingual online platform for sanitary and phytosanitary certification required for the importation of animals, animal products, food and feed of non-animal origin and plants into the European Union and the intra-EU trade and EU exports of animals and certain animal products. Up until May 2020, the Europhyt database managed notifications of interceptions of plants or plant products that do not comply with EU legislation, as well as notifications of plant pests detected in the territory of the Member States and the phytosanitary measures taken to eradicate or avoid their spread. The recording of interceptions switched from Europhyt Interceptions to TRACES in May 2020.

Methodologies
The Panel performed the pest categorisation for Phenacoccus solenopsis, following guiding principles and steps presented in the EFSA guidance on quantitative pest risk assessment (EFSA PLH Panel, 2018), the EFSA guidance on the use of the weight of evidence approach in scientific assessments (EFSA Scientific Committee, 2017) and the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 11 (FAO, 2013) andNo. 21 (FAO, 2004).
The criteria to be considered when categorising a pest as a Union quarantine pest (QP) is given in Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 Article 3 and Annex 1 to this Regulation. Table 1 presents the Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 pest categorisation criteria on which the Panel bases its conclusions. In judging whether a criterion is met the Panel uses its best professional judgement (EFSA Scientific Committee, 2017) by integrating a range of evidence from a variety of sources (as presented above in Section 2.1) to reach an informed conclusion as to whether or not a criterion is satisfied.
The Panel's conclusions are formulated respecting its remit and particularly with regard to the principle of separation between risk assessment and risk management (EFSA founding regulation (EU) No 178/2002); therefore, instead of determining whether the pest is likely to have an unacceptable impact, deemed to be a risk management decision, the Panel will present a summary of the observed impacts in the areas where the pest occurs, and make a judgement about potential likely impacts in the EU. Whilst the Panel may quote impacts reported from areas where the pest occurs in monetary terms, the Panel will seek to express potential EU impacts in terms of yield and quality losses and not in monetary terms, in agreement with the EFSA guidance on quantitative pest risk assessment (EFSA PLH Panel, 2018). Article 3 (d) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 refers to unacceptable social impact as a criterion for quarantine pest status. Assessing social impact is outside the remit of the Panel.
Identity and biology of the pest 3.1.

Identity and taxonomy
Phenacoccus solenopsis is an insect within the Order Hemiptera and Family Pseudococcidae. It is commonly known as the cotton or solenopsis mealybug.
Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Figure 1), was initially described in 1898 from specimens collected in Mesilla Park, New Mexico, USA, in October 1892, from the roots and stems of Boerhavia spicata (Nyctaginaceae) and Kallstroemia californica (Zygophyllaceae), within nests of the fire ant Solenopsis geminata Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), hence the specific epithet (Tinsley, 1898a). In the same year, Tinsley (1898b) provided a description of the adult female collected on the roots of Atriplex canescens (Amaranthaceae). The species was subsequently described under the names Phenacoccus cevalliae Cockerell 1902 and gossypiphilous Abbas, Arif and Saeed 2005, which are considered junior synonyms (Garc ıa Morales et al., 2016). Hodgson et al. (2008) suggested that three nominal species, P. solenopsis, P. solani Ferris and P. defectus Ferris, may be environmentally induced variants of a single species. Subsequently, P. defectus was synonymised with P. solani, and most researchers now consider P. solenopsis and P. solani, to be valid species. They can usually be easily separated in life as adult female P. solenopsis have distinct dorsal dark markings (Figure 1), which are absent in P. solani. Thomas and Ramamurthy (2014) studied the genetic diversity in populations of P. solenopsis using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (mtCO-1) sequences. The phylogenetic tree they produced with available sequences in the NCBI GenBank from different geographic regions revealed a distinct Identity of the pest (Section 3.1) Is the identity of the pest established, or has it been shown to produce consistent symptoms and to be transmissible?
Absence/presence of the pest in the EU territory (Section 3.2) Is the pest present in the EU territory? If present, is the pest widely distributed within the EU? Describe the pest distribution briefly Regulatory status (Section 3.

3)
If the pest is present in the EU but not widely distributed in the risk assessment area, it should be under official control or expected to be under official control in the near future.
Pest potential for entry, establishment and spread in the EU territory (Section 3.4) Is the pest able to enter into, become established in, and spread within, the EU territory? If yes, briefly list the pathways Potential for consequences in the EU territory (Section 3.5) Would the pests' introduction have an economic or environmental impact on the EU territory**?
Available measures (Specific import requirements) (Section 3.6) Are there measures available to prevent the entry into the EU such that the likelihood of introduction becomes mitigated?
Conclusion of pest categorisation (Section 4) A statement as to whether (1) all criteria assessed by EFSA above for consideration as a potential quarantine pest were met and (2) if not, which one(s) were not met.
separation between Asian and American populations. A similar result was obtained by Ahmed et al. (2015). The latter obtained P. solenopsis mtCOI sequences from specimens collected across China and Pakistan, and compared them with already available mtCOI sequences from additional Asian and North American countries. Genetic analysis provided evidence that P. solenopsis should be classified into two groups, one of which is found only in the United States and the other found in Asia. The Asian group contained nine unique haplotypes, two of which have invaded and spread across China, Pakistan, India and Vietnam. It appears that there are two distinct evolutionary lineages of P. solenopsis, but further evidence is necessary to draw any reliable conclusions on the existence of a P. solenopsis species complex.
The EPPO code 1 for this species is: PHENSO (EPPO, online).

Biology of the pest
The biology of P. solenopsis has been described by Hodgson et al. (2008), Fand and Suroshe (2015) and Vennila et al. (2010). The life cycle takes between 28 and 35 days, and it has 8-12 generations annually, the number depending on temperature and host quality. Hodgson et al. (2008) reported that reproduction was always sexual although facultative parthenogenesis was observed under laboratory conditions in India (Vennila et al., 2010). It overwinters as an adult female, on the bark, the stem and branches of woody plants. It seems that it may develop underground on roots of non-woody plants (Spodek et al., 2018). It has been reported to be capable of surviving temperatures ranging from 0°C to 45°C on Okra in India (Sharma, 2007). Table 2 summarises key features of the biology of each life stage.
P. solenopsis colonies are frequently attended by ants and the mutualism between the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta and the mealybug has been studied by Zhou et al. (2012). The mutualism facilitates population growth and fitness of both species and may help drive the invasion success of these species when introduced to new areas.

Host range and plants affected
P. solenopsis is highly polyphagous, feeding on approximately 300 plant species in 65 botanical families (listed in Appendix A). The plant families containing most hosts are Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae and Solanaceae. Hosts include many crops grown in the EU. However, Spodek et al. (2018) reported that some of the woody plants affected by the pest, including citrus (Citrus spp.), almond (Prunus dulcis) and grape vine (Vitis vinifera), are not suitable for the reproduction of P. solenopsis in Israel. P. solenopsis breeds on herbaceous plants in citrus groves and vineyards. These preferred hosts desiccate during the hot summer, and the mealybugs tend to migrate on to nearby stems of the crop plant, forming conspicuous aggregates on branches and in the canopy, but also on wooden or metal posts. Mealybug development was not observed on citrus and grapevines (Spodek et al., 2018).
There is uncertainty regarding how many of the plant species listed in Appendix A can support a self-sustaining population of P. solenopsis. Hodgson et al. (2008) and Thomas and Ramamurthy (2014) found P. solenopsis exhibited considerable environmentally induced morphological variation. Recent molecular data provides some evidence that P. solenopsis may comprise a cryptic species complex (Ahmed et al., 2015;Chen et al., 2012;Thomas and Ramamurthy, 2014), but this requires further research and has not been proven.

Detection and identification of the pest
P. solenopsis is gregarious and often forms conspicuous groups on new growth (shoots, buds, flowers, fruits) of their host plants ( Figure 1). They may be found on all aerial parts of the plant and show a preference for the upper parts, especially young shoots or branches carrying fruitlets (Spodek et al., 2018). They also occasionally occur on the root-collar and roots of herbaceous plants. Phenology and relation to host Other relevant information Egg P. solenopsis has been reported to lay 150-600 eggs into an ovisac (Lu et al., 2008), whereas others report it is ovoviviparous (eggs hatch inside female) (Hodgson et al., 2008).

Nymph
Mainly found on the young growth, including twigs, stems, leaves, flower buds and petioles. They are occasionally found on the roots of herbaceous plants and in ants' nests (Spodek et al., 2018). Females have three nymphal instars, and the males have four. The final two male nymph instars (called prepupa and pupa) do not feed.
First-instar nymphs (known as 'crawlers') are mobile and disperse by walking to other parts of the same plant or are carried on the wind or by other means (e.g. farm machinery, workers, animals) to other areas (Hodgson et al., 2008). Mealybug crawlers can live for approximately one day without feeding. When a suitable feeding site is located, they insert their stylets to feed and remain anchored to the host.

Adult
See the notes for the nymphs. Males have wings and females are wingless (neotenic and larviform).
Facultative parthenogenetic. Adult males have no functional mouthparts and are short-lived (a few hours to 3 days) during which time they disperse by flight, although they are weak flyers, and seek a female to mate with. Adult females can live for up to 3 months (Gerson and Aplebaum, online).

Are detection and identification methods available for the pest?
Yes, P. solenopsis can be found during visual inspection of infested consignments of host plants; adult females, ovisacs and nymphs can be found on the surface of plant foliage, stems, flowers, and fruit, and occasionally roots.
Morphological keys and molecular methods are available to identify specimens to the species level. Symptoms resulting from large populations of mealybugs cause general weakening, distortion, chlorosis, defoliation, dieback and death of susceptible plants (Malumphy et al., 2013). Plants become covered in sooty moulds that grow on the honeydew egested by the mealybugs. The taxonomy of Pseudococcidae is based on the morphology of the adult female. Adult female P. solenopsis exhibit considerable morphological variation which is discussed in Section 3.1.4. Hodgson et al. (2008)  • First instar nymph is yellowish, elliptical, 0.4 9 0.2 mm, with red eyes and well-developed legs.
• Second and third instar nymphs are yellowish, elliptical, about 0.75-1.00 mm and 1.00-1.73 mm long, respectively, with short marginal wax filaments.
• Adult female is yellowish, about 2-5 mm long and 2-4 mm wide, covered with a powdery white wax secretion, except for bare patches of dark grey cuticle, with three pairs of submarginal patches on the abdomen (these may appear to be one long streak) and one pair on the thorax ( Figure 1). Paired segmental wax filaments extend from the margin around the body, with the terminal pair of filaments longest. An ovisac of fluffy, loose-textured wax strands is produced (McKenzie, 1967;Sartiami et al., 2016).
An online factsheet on P. solenopsis produced by Jackson and Mua (2019) provides photographs of the adults and feeding damage. Molecular diagnostic methods, based on the cytochrome c oxidase I sequence, are available to identify P. solenopsis with a number of accessions in Genbank.

3.2.
Pest distribution 3.2.1. Pest distribution outside the EU P. solenopsis is native to North America and has spread to Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Oceania (see Map 2). It has recently been introduced to Europe (see Section 3.2.2 below).
Appendix B provides national and subnational records of occurrence (EPPO, online).

3.4.
Entry, establishment and spread in the EU

Entry
Adult females and all immature stages of P. solenopsis may be transported with fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, cotton linters and plants for planting, including bulbs, tubers, tuberous roots, corms, crowns and rhizomes. Adult males are less likely to be transported than the other stages, as they are winged and may fly off when disturbed during harvesting and processing for shipment. P. solenopsis is polyphagous and its hosts include many crop and ornamental plants imported into the EU from areas where the mealybug occurs (see Table 4 for a summary of potential pathways). No special requirements in Annex VII relate specifically to P. solenopsis. However, there are some prohibitions on high risk plants. Some of them are hosts of P. solenopsis (Section 3.3.2) Regarding plants for planting, commodity risk assessments specifically for Ficus carica plants imported from Israel and for Nerium oleander plants imported from Turkey identified P. solenopsis as a pest that could be transported (EFSA, 2021a,b).
Tables 5-11 show the imported weight (100 Kg) of specific commodities between 2015 and 2020 from regions where P. solenopsis is known to occur, and which provide potential pathways of introduction. Detailed data on the EU 27 imports of tomatoes from countries where the pest is present can be seen in Appendix C.
Soil and growing media and soil on machinery were not considered viable options.   Table 3 Live tree and other plants for planting Adult female, immature For prohibitions see Table 3 Cut flowers and ornamental foliage

Establishment
Climatic mapping is the principal method for identifying areas that could provide suitable conditions for the establishment of a pest taking key abiotic factors into account (Baker, 2002). Availability of hosts is considered in 3.4.2.1 and climatic factors in 3.4.2.2.
Although adult females and all immature stages of P. solenopsis may be transported with fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers and cotton linters, the likelihood of transfer to a suitable host following entry is low as the mealybugs have a relatively low natural dispersal potential. Plants for planting, including bulbs, tubers, tuberous roots, corms, crowns and rhizomes, present a much higher risk of establishment.

EU distribution of main host plants and plants affected
As noted above, and in Appendix A, P. solenopsis is polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of ornamentals, vegetable and fruit crops and cotton. Cultivated plants such as almond, basil, bell pepper, citrus, eggplant, grapevine, maize, olive, sage, sorghum and tomato, are grown in central and southern EU. Table 12 shows the harvested area of key hosts and food plants cultivated in the EU 27 in recent years. Detailed production data of host plants in the EU 27 can be found in Appendix D.

Climatic conditions affecting establishment
P. solenopsis is most frequently reported from tropical and subtropical regions in the Americas, Middle East, Asia and Africa. However, it is reported to occur in India in areas which experience temperatures that range from 0°C to 45°C (Sharma, 2007). What is remarkable is that it has been found in the Canadian prairies in Alberta on the roots of Artemisia frigida and Rosa arkansana in the nests of six species of ant (Newton et al., 2011). Two of these ant species are very common throughout the EU: yellow meadow ant Lasius flavus and black garden ant Lasius niger. The significance of this finding is unclear. It may indicate that P. solenopsis could survive in ant's nests, feeding on plant roots, in northern temperate areas of the EU which experience sub-zero winters. It is likely to only occur at low population densities in such areas.
P. solenopsis can establish in southern and central Europe and there is uncertainty regarding establishment in Northern areas.

Spread
3.5. Impacts Figure 3: World distribution of eight K € oppen-Geiger climate types that occur in the EU and which occur in countries where Phenacoccus solenopsis has been reported Describe how the pest would be able to spread within the EU territory following establishment? P. solenopsis is a free-living organism that appears to be spreading and/or there have been multiple introductions within the EU. Natural spread by the first instars crawling or being carried by wind, other animals, or machinery, will occur locally and relatively slowly. In Israel, during dry periods it has been recorded migrating from herbaceous hosts, on which it breeds, to woody orchard plants and vineyards.
Comment on plants for planting as a mechanism of spread.

Adult females and immatures can be carried on plants for planting.
Would the pests' introduction have an economic or environmental impact on the EU territory?
Yes, adults and immatures are harmful to a range of plants and economic impacts are expected, particularly to glasshouse vegetable crops such as bell pepper, eggplants, and tomato, and field crops, such as cotton. Environmental impacts are also possible, as the mealybug can feed on a range of native herbaceous plants.

Phenacoccus solenopsis: Pest categorisation
The main economic impact has been reported on cotton, with 30-60% yield losses in India and Pakistan (Fand and Suroshe, 2015). Infested cotton plants become stunted, growth appears to stop and most plants look dehydrated. In severe outbreaks, the bolls fail to open, and defoliation occurs (including the loss of flower buds, flowers and immature bolls) (Hodgson et al., 2008).
It is also an economic pest of tomato, eggplant and bell peppers grown in glasshouses in Israel, as P. solenopsis prefers to feed on the young shoots and branches carrying fruitlets (Spodek et al., 2018). On tomatoes the pest causes foliar yellowing, leaf wrinkling, puckering and severe damage, resulting in death (Ibrahim et al., 2015). Ornamental plants can lose value due to sooty moulds growing on honeydew egested by the mealybug.

3.6.
Available measures and/or potential specific import requirements and limits of mitigation measures 3.6.1. Identification of potential additional measures Phytosanitary measures (prohibitions) are currently applied to some host plants for planting (see 3.3.2). Further potential control measures on hosts that are imported are listed in Table 13. For N. oleander and F. carica, see EFSA (2021a,b).
Are there measures available to prevent the entry into the EU (and spread for pests already present) such that the risk becomes mitigated?
Yes, some hosts are already prohibited as plants for planting from third countries (see 3.3.2). Measures proposed by Israel for Ficus carica and Turkey for Nerium oleander plants for planting are evaluated in EFSA (2021a,b). Fresh produce imported into the EU require a phytosanitary certificate and a proportion of consignments are inspected. Additional options are available to reduce the likelihood of pest entry into the EU. Surveillance, detection, pesticide treatments, restricting plant movement are amongst measures to prevent spread. Growing plants in isolation Production in insect proof greenhouses or isolated fields could be considered because P. solenopsis has a low natural dispersal potential as adult females cannot fly; measures could be applied in vicinity of growing site.

Chemical treatments on crops including reproductive material
Used to mitigate likelihood of infestation of pests susceptible to chemical treatments. Sahito et al. (2011) provides a review of pesticides against P. solenopsis

Roguing and pruning
The mealybug shows a preference for new growth and pruning can reduce the population density.

Soil treatment
A soil drench will mitigate likelihood of infestation of soil at origin Inspections Has been detected during import inspections (Malumphy, 2005;Malumphy et al., 2013) Used to mitigate likelihood of infestation by specified pest at origin

Chemical treatments on consignments or during processing
Used to mitigate likelihood of infestation of pests susceptible to chemical treatments • P. solenopsis can feed on roots and is therefore difficult to detect and treat.
• P. solenopsis has mutualistic relations with ant colonies.
• P. solenopsis can feed on a wide range of hosts (approximately 300 species assigned to 65 families) although they seem unlikely to be able to sustain populations on some of the woody hosts.
• Limited effectiveness of control measures: Although both contact and systemic insecticides are available, they have not always been effective against P. solenopsis in Cyprus, and populations increase rapidly in the summer months (Malumphy et al., 2013). The congeneric South American bougainvillea mealybug Phenacoccus peruvianus was first detected in Europe in Spain in 1999, and in two decades became widespread in the Mediterranean.

Uncertainty
There is uncertainty regarding the abiotic requirements, area of potential establishment in the EU, rate of natural spread, frequency of root feeding and occurrence in ants' nests, level of impact to outdoor crops, environmental impacts and the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
If entering on fresh produce, there are uncertainties over the pest's ability to transfer to a suitable host following arrival in the EU. Uncertainties affecting establishment, which are common to other pests that enter, also include allee effects (effects causing reduced survival of new colonies with a small number of individuals (Tobin et al., 2011)).
Population densities of P. solenopsis have recently declined in Israel due to parasitism by Aenasius arizonensis (Girault) (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae), which has reduced the impact (Spodek et al., 2018). A. arizonensis is present in Israel and Turkey but has not been recorded in the EU. There is uncertainty regarding the level of predation and parasitism by natural enemies of P. solenopsis already present in the EU, and whether A. arizonensis will spread naturally into the EU.

Conclusions
P. solenopsis is a highly polyphagous North American mealybug that has spread to all continents except Antarctica. It has recently been reported in the EU where it has a limited distribution. It is under official control in Cyprus and has recently been reported in Greece and Italy. Assuming that these reports reflect a limited distribution, and P. solenopsis shortly comes under official control, it would satisfy all the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest (Table 14).

Special requirements summary with hyperlink (in blue) to information sheet if available
Potential control measures summary Physical treatments on consignments or during processing

Used to mitigate likelihood of infestation of pests susceptible to physical treatments
Heat and cold treatments Although P. solenopsis is reported to have a wide temperature tolerance, treatments using temperatures outside tolerable limits could be used.

Controlled atmosphere
Used to mitigate likelihood of infestation of pests susceptible to modified atmosphere (usually applied during transport) hence to mitigate entry Cleaning and disinfection of facilities, tools and machinery  The identity of the species is established and Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley is the accepted name.
Recent molecular data provides some evidence that P. solenopsis may comprise a cryptic species complex.
Absence/presence of the pest in the EU (Section 3.2) Phenacoccus solenopsis is present in the EU where it has a restricted distribution (Cyprus, Greece and Italy) It is likely to be underrecorded due to difficulties with detection and identification. Regulatory status (Section 3.3) P. solenopsis is not regulated in the EU plant health regulations. It is under official control in Cyprus and has recently been reported in Greece and Italy.
Whether or not official action will be taken against P. solenopsis in all EU members where the pest occurs. It is unknown if it will become regulated in the near future.
Pest potential for entry, establishment and spread in the EU (Section 3.4) Adult and immature P. solenopsis may enter the EU with imported fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers although the main pathway of introduction is likely to be plants for planting. Biotic factors (host availability) and abiotic factors (climate suitability) suggest that most of the EU would be suitable for establishment of P. solenopsis. The pest is a free-living organism and could spread within the EU, facilitated by movement of hosts. Potential for consequences in the EU (Section 3.5) Adults and nymphs are harmful to a range of plants and economic and possibly environmental impacts would be expected if P. solenopsis spreads in the EU.

Available measures (Section 3.6)
Some plants affected by P. solenopsis are already prohibited as plants for planting from third countries and produce imported into the EU require a phytosanitary certificate of which a proportion of consignments are inspected. Additional options are available to reduce the likelihood of pest entry into and spread within the EU.

Conclusion (Section 4)
Assuming that the recent reports reflect a limited distribution, and P. solenopsis shortly comes under official control, it would satisfy all the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest.
It is unclear how effective any official action will be to eradicate or contain the pest. Suppression, containment or eradication of a pest population (FAO, 2018).

Entry (of a pest)
Movement of a pest into an area where it is not yet present, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled (FAO, 2018). Eradication (of a pest) Application of phytosanitary measures to eliminate a pest from an area (FAO, 2018). Establishment (of a pest) Perpetuation, for the foreseeable future, of a pest within an area after entry (FAO, 2018). Greenhouse A walk-in, static, closed place of crop production with a usually translucent outer shell, which allows controlled exchange of material and energy with the surroundings and prevents release of plant protection products (PPPs) into the environment. Impact (of a pest) The impact of the pest on the crop output and quality and on the environment in the occupied spatial units. Introduction (of a pest) The entry of a pest resulting in its establishment (FAO, 2018). Pathway Any means that allows the entry or spread of a pest (FAO, 2018). Phytosanitary measures Any legislation, regulation or official procedure having the purpose to prevent the introduction or spread of quarantine pests, or to limit the economic impact of regulated non-quarantine pests (FAO, 2018