Abstract
In 2012, a white cochineal 2.5 cm long was detected on the needles of Atlas cedar in a forest stand in the village of Antonaves (Hautes-Alpes, Eastern France). The species was Dynaspidiotus regnieri, little known up to then in France. Originally from North Africa (Morocco, Algeria), it was recorded in 1983 in Spain (Segovia) where it caused the death of several saplings. In the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (S.-E. France), it has since been recorded in the mountain areas of the Ventoux, the Luberon and the Vaucluse as well as in the Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-de-Haute- Provence, the Bouches-du-Rhône (Aix-en-Provence) and in the Var. This article first gives a rundown of the main parasites affecting the cedar and the cochineals occurring on the Cedrus genus then provides an update on the data observed and known at present: origin, description, biology, damage caused, localisation... Thus the detection of this new parasite, for which biological data is fairly limited and whose impact on plant health in France remains unknown, highlights the need for increased monitoring in Atlas cedar stands.