On the Identity of Pear Psyllids in Iran: A Plea Against the Continued Misuse of Cacopsylla pyricola (Hemiptera: Psylloidea).

Pear psyllids are among the most serious pests of cultivated pear. In the past, repeated misidentifications and the uncritical application of species names led to considerable confusion in biodiversity records and pest monitoring of pear psyllids. Although several revisions clarified many of these issues, misidentifications have persisted, particularly in records attributed to Cacopsylla pyricola (Foerster) in Iran, which may result in serious problems in quarantine and pest management. Currently, 34 species of Cacopsylla are known to be associated with Pyrus spp., five of which are confirmed to occur in Iran, while the occurrence of C. pyricola in the country remains likely but unconfirmed. In this study, we demonstrate that the examined Cacopsylla species differ significantly in their COI barcodes, which can be reliably used for species identification. The COI sequences for C. permixta are published here for the first time. Our results suggest that the GenBank and literature records of C. pyricola from Iran likely represent misidentifications of other species that occur throughout the pear-producing regions of Iran. These misidentifications likely resulted from the application of species names without adequate morphological or molecular confirmation. Our findings highlight the need for careful validation of species records and demonstrate that GenBank sequences should be used cautiously unless they are linked to reliably identified voucher specimens.