Regional pests

When new exotic pests with the potential to cause serious economic impact on plant production industries are detected, eradication is the ideal goal. While Australia has had great success in eradicating exotic pests, in some cases eradication is not possible.

Following the establishment of these pests, measures can still be taken to minimise negative impacts, primarily through containment.

Regionalised pests can be contained at a local, regional or state level, depending on current distribution and the ability to implement cost beneficial measures for containment.

Domestic quarantine restrictions are key in preventing the spread of pests nationally. State and territory government legislation underpins containment activities which are carried out by the jurisdictions in cooperation with other states, territories and relevant industries as appropriate. Rules apply to both travellers and commercial growers.

The table below lists approximately 80 pests recognised by formal legislation and their current area of distribution* within Australia.

Some of the quarantine or biosecurity zones relating to these pests are shown on the map.

*the list is correct as of end 2016

Scientific name	Common name	Affected area
New South Wales
Bactrocera tryoni	Queensland fruit fly	Endemic within all of NSW excluding the NSW portion of the Greater Sunraysia Pest Free Area as defined in Order O-458 of the NSW Plant Diseases Act 1924 No. 38
Banana bunchy top virus (Babuvirus)	Banana bunchy top virus	Far north coast – regulated via Order OR121 under the NSW Plant Diseases Act 1924 No. 38
Daktulosphaira vitifoliae	Grapevine phylloxera	Present within the NSW Phylloxera Infested Zone, comprising the Sydney and the Albury-Corowa regions as defined in Proclamation P176 of the NSW Plant Diseases Act 1924 No. 38
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (race 1 and subtropical race 4)	Panama disease endemic strains	Far north coast – regulated via Order OR121 under the NSW Plant Diseases Act 1924 No. 38
Panonychus citri	Citrus red mite	The Citrus Quarantine Area of Cumberland and Northumberland Counties as outlined in Plant Diseases (Citrus Red Mite) Notification 2016 under the NSW Plant Diseases Act 1924 No. 38
Potato viruses belonging to the Potyviridae family (including potato virus Y) and the Luteoviridae family (including potato leaf roll virus)		Endemic in NSW excluding the NSW Seed Protected Areas as defined in Order O-443 of the NSW Plant Diseases Act 1924 No. 38
Ralstonia solanacearum	Bacterial wilt of potatoes	Endemic in NSW excluding the NSW Seed Protected Areas as defined in Order O-443 of the NSW Plant Diseases Act 1924 No. 38
Spongospora subterranea	Powdery scab of potatoes	Endemic in NSW excluding the NSW Seed Protected Areas as defined in Order O-443 of the NSW Plant Diseases Act 1924 No. 38
Northern Territory
Aleurodicus dispersus	Spiraling whitefly	Darwin, Palmerston, Darwin rural area, Katherine
Bactrocera tryoni	Queensland fruit fly	Darwin, Palmerston, Darwin rural area, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs
Bermisia tabaci	Silver leaf whitefly	Darwin, Palmerston, Darwin rural area, Katherine
Brontispa longissima	Palm leaf beetle	Darwin, Palmerston, Darwin rural area
Citripestis eutrapera	Mango fruit borer	Darwin, Darwin rural area, Katherine
Cryptosporiopsis citri	Cryptosporiopsis leaf spot	Darwin, Darwin rural area, Batchelor, Daly River, Litchfield region
Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus	Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus	Darwin rural area, Katherine, Alice Springs (Ti Tree)
Dickeya spp.	Dickeya	Darwin rural area
Fusarium mangiferae	Mango malformation disease	Darwin, Darwin rural area, Adelaide River
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (tropical race 4)	Panama disease	Darwin rural area
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum	Fusarium wilt of watermelon	Darwin, Darwin rural area, Katherine
Idioscopus clypealis	Mango leaf hopper	Tiwi Islands, Darwin rural
Idioscopus nitidulus	Mango leaf hopper	Darwin, Palmerston, Darwin rural area, Adelaide River, Pine Creek, Katherine
Lepisiota frauenfeldi	Browsing ant	Darwin
Monomorium dichroum	Monomorium dichroum	Darwin
Parlatoria blanchardi	Date palm scale	Alice Springs
Phakopsora cherimoliae	Phakopsora rust	Darwin rural area
Pineapple mealy bug wilt associated virus (PMWaV-1)		One property only (Darwin Correctional Facility Shoal Bay)
Pseudocercospora purpurea	Cercospora spot	Darwin rural area
Selenothrips rubrocinctus	Red-banded thrips	Darwin, Palmerston, Darwin rural area, Adelaide River, Pine Creek, Katherine
Sternochetus mangiferae	Mango seed weevil	Darwin, Palmerston, Darwin rural area, Batchelor, Adelaide River
Tetranychus gloveri	Glovers mite	Darwin rural area
Thrips palmi	Melon thrips	Darwin rural area
Uredo morifolia	Mulberry rust	Dundee Downs, Palmerston, Noonamah, Darwin rural area
Queensland
Aleurodicus dispersus	Spiraling whitefly	Torres Strait Islands, Cape York Peninsula, Mareeba, Charters Towers, coastal towns south to Bundaberg
Anoplolepis gracilipes	Yellow crazy ant	Populations dotted in various locations spanning Cairns to the Gold Coast
Apis cerana, Java genotype	Asian honey bee	Surrounding Cairns region, north to Bonnie Doon (near Mossman), west of Atherton and Mareeba and south to Mena Creek
Banana bunchy top virus (Babuvirus)	Bunchy top	Noosa south to the NSW border
Cryptotermes brevis	West Indian drywood termite	Greater Brisbane, Wide Bay, Rockhampton, Bowen, Townsville
Deanolis sublimbalis	Red banded mango caterpillar	Far northern Cape York Peninsula
Eumetopina flavipes Muir	Island sugarcane planthopper	Torres Strait island archipelago and the northern peninsula area of Cape York
Fiji disease virus	Fiji leaf gall	Sugarcane biosecurity zones 4, 5 and 6
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (race 1, race 2, subtropical race 4 and tropical race 4)	Panama disease	Race 1 endemic throughout banana growing regions
		Race 2 south Johnstone and Cairns
		Race 4 (subtropical) south east Queensland as far north as Rosedale
		Race 4 (tropical) detected two properties in/near the Tully Valley, far north Queensland. A containment program has been established.
Idioscopus clypealis	Mango leafhopper	Cape York Peninsula and Mareeba area, south to Atherton, and along the coast from Wangetti to Gordonvale
Idioscopus nitidulus	Mango leafhopper	Cape York Peninsula
Liriomyza sativae	Vegetable leafminer	Northern peninsula area of Cape York Peninsula
Mycosphaerella fijiensis	Black sigatoka	Some northern and eastern Torres Strait Islands
Papaya ringspot virus (Potyvirus)	Papaya ringspot virus	South east Queensland as far north as Bundaberg area
Planoccoccus lilacinus	Coffee mealybug	Boigu Island, Torres Strait Islands
Procontarinia spp.	Mango leaf gall midge	Torres Strait and northern tip of Cape York Peninsula
Pseudococcus cryptus	Cryptic mealybug	Islands in the Torres Strait and isolated places in North Queensland, including Cairns, not widely distributed
Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi	Jack beardsley mealybug	Torres Strait Islands and the Cape York Peninsula
Pseudocercospora purpurea	Cercospora leaf spot	Mareeba Shire Council and Tablelands Regional Council
Solenopsis invicta	Red imported fire ant	South east Queensland including parts of Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer, Redland, Logan, Somerset, Scenic Rim and Gold Coast councils. The Brisbane Airport is a separate response as it is a new incursion not genetically related to the one in the south east.
Striga asiatica	Red witchweed	Contained to a small number of properties in the Mackay region
Sugarcane mosaic virus (strain A) (Potyvirus)	Sugarcane mosaic virus	Sugarcane biosecurity zones 4, 5 and 6
Sugarcane striate mosaic-associated virus (Carlavirus)	Sugarcane striate mosaic virus	Sugarcane biosecurity zone 2 and 6
Tetranychus piercei	Spider mite	Weipa, Cape York Peninsula
Thrips palmi	Melon thrips	South east Queensland as far north as Bundaberg area. North Queensland coastal areas from Ayr to Mossman and Atherton Tablelands
Wasmannia auropunctata	Electric ant	Far north Queensland, Cairns hinterland and Bingle Bay
South Australia
Urocystis cepulae	Onion smut	Annual surveys of Allium crops. Quarantine measures are applied in two remaining quarantine zones.
Victoria
Bactrocera tryoni	Queensland fruit fly	Permanent fruit fly zones (refer to specific orders)
Cantareus apertus	Green snail	Management of green snail linked and infested lands (refer to specific orders)
Daktulosphaira vitifoliae	Grapevine phylloxera	Phylloxera Infested Zone and Phylloxera Free Zone (refer to specific orders)
Globodera rostochiensis	Potato cyst nematode	Management of PCN linked and infested lands, and Plant Protection District (refer to specific orders)
Western Australia
Achroia grisella	Lesser wax moth	WA. Regulations or controls for movement and control in specified areas
Aethina tumida	Small hive beetle	Kimberley. Host material restricted from movement to rest of state
Bemisia tabaci (B biotype)	Silverleaf whitefly	Perth and Carnarvon. Host material restricted from movement to Kununurra
Brontispa longissima	Palm leaf beetle	Broome. Host material restricted from movement to rest of state
Cantareus apertus	Green snail	WA. Regulations or controls for movement and control in specified areas
Ceratitis capitata	Mediterranean fruit fly	WA. Absent from east Kimberley region. Regulations or controls for movement and control in specified areas
Chortoicetes terminifera	Australian plague locust	WA. Regulations for control in specified areas
Cosmopolites sordidus	Banana weevil borer	Kununurra. Host material restricted from movement to rest of state
Cryptolestes ferrugineus	Flat grain beetle	WA. Regulations or controls for movement and control in specified areas
Cryptolestes pusillus	Flat grain beetle	WA. Regulations or controls for movement and control in specified areas
Ephestia elutella	Tobacco moth	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Ephestia kuehniella	Mediterranean flour moth	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (race 1)	Panama disease	Carnarvon. Host material restricted from movement to rest of the state
Galleria mellonella	Larger wax moth	WA. Regulations or controls for movement and control in specified areas
Hylotrupes bajulus	European house borer	WA. Regulations or controls for movement and control in specified areas
Oryzaephilus surinamensis	Sawtooth grain beetle	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Pentalonia nigronervosa	Banana aphid	Carnarvon. Host material restricted from movement to rest of the state
Plodia interpunctella	Indian meal moth	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Potato spindle tuber viroid	Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd)	Carnarvon
Pythium tracheiphilum	Lettuce blight	Gingin and Perth metropolitan area
Rhyzopertha dominica	Lesser grain borer	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Sitophilus granarius	Granary weevil	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Sitophilus oryzae	Rice weevil	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Sitotroga cerealella	Angoumois grain moth	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Thrips palmi	Melon thrips	Kimberley (low pest prevalence area)
Tribolium castaneum	Rust red flour	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Tribolium confusum	Confused flour beetle	WA. Regulations or controls for insecticide resistant strains
Trogoderma variabile	Warehouse beetle	WA. Regulations or controls for movement and control in specified areas