[1][2] Paropsisterna selmani first came to scientific attention in 2007 when beetle were found attacking cultivated Eucalyptus species in County Kerry, Ireland,[1] and in 2012 a single adult was photographed in a garden in London.

[3] It was realised that these were identical to a pest species on Eucalyptus nitens plantations in Tasmania, which had been tentatively identified as Paropsisterna gloriosa by entomologist Brian Selman of University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Paropsisterna is a large genus of over 120 species which are distinguished by colour patterns, which are normally lost in preserved specimens.

[2] When first scientifically described, Paropsisterna selmani was already a pest in both Tasmania and Ireland, causing significant defoliation,[1] and so also in Surrey in 2015.

[2] Paropsisterna selmani is an elliptical beetle up to 9mm long, orange to brown, generally with a yellowish ring of marks towards the tipe of the elytra.