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The male (left) and female (right) Anthonomus spilotus beetle, found on pear trees in Kent  

A new species of beetle that attacks pear trees has been spotted in UK orchards for the first time.

The Anthonomus spilotus beetle has been found on two orchards in Kent and was reported to NIAB EMR, before being reported to the National History Museum for identification.

Native to continental Europe, the beetle attacks the leaf buds of pear trees early in the spring, reducing the number of fruit produced per tree.

Museum beetle curator Max Barclay, one of the team that identified the insect, said the species may have crossed the Channel on individual pear trees imported by garden centres.

It may spread to other orchards but is “unlikely to wreak havoc”, Barclay said, as it still has natural predators.

“It's not completely out of its natural range as it is from Europe, so it will have some competitors and predators,” he said.

Around 10 to 15 new beetle species join the UK’s existing 4,000 species every year, most of which are not pests, but due to climate change the industry must brace itself for more pests arriving from warmer climates, Barclay added.

“You need to think of the British Isles with a long-term perspective, in that it was covered in glaciers until about 10,000 years ago. As those glaciers retreated it was effectively filled up with species from the south. And that's a process that is still ongoing,” he said.

“So you have a continuous migration of insects moving from the south as the climate becomes milder. And if that climate warming is currently speeding up then we are likely to see more species moving northwards.”