Background: The 'western seed bug', known as Leptoglossusoccidentalis, is considered a global invasive species that has experienced a recent rapid expansion worldwide, becoming an important pest species for coniferous forests.
New information: With the 'Canary Islands early-warning network for the detection and intervention of invasive exotic species' (RedEXOS), this species was detected for the first time in the Canarian archipelago in an urban area in the eastern part of the island of Gran Canaria. This early detection is crucial for understanding the potential damage in one of the islands with the highest surface area of natural endemic pine forest.
Keywords: Coreidae; DNA barcoding; Macaronesia; citizen science; exotic species; new record.
David Lugo, Daniel Suárez, Sonia Martín, Óscar Martín Afonso, Alicia Martín, Carlos Ruiz.