Том 98, № 8 (2018)

Thermal reaction norms for development (the lower temperature threshold, temperature sensitivity, and sum of degree-days) can show phenotypic plasticity in response to a combination of ecological factors. The goal of this study was to evaluate the degree of plasticity of the thermal reaction norms for development under different photoperiodic conditions in the green shield bug Palomena prasina. Experiments were conducted in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, two photoperiodic regimens (12 and 22 h of light per day) and five constant temperatures (20, 22, 24, 26, and 28°C) were used; a lower temperature of 16°C was added in 2016. There were no differences in the egg developmental time between the two photoperiodic conditions and across the two experiments. Under the short-day photoperiodic regimen, nymphal development was faster at all the temperatures and was characterized by greater thermal sensitivity and a higher temperature threshold than under the long-day photoperiod. Besides, the relationship between the developmental rate and temperature deviated from linearity at 26 and 28°C under short-day conditions. The adaptive nature of the observed nymphal response to photoperiodic conditions was confirmed by our phenological observations and an outdoor cage experiment. The adult body mass slightly increased with rising temperature under short-day conditions but did not depend on the temperature under long-day ones. Females were larger than males, and both sexes had a greater body mass under long-day conditions than under short-day ones. In 2015, the eggs for experiments were collected before mid-July, almost a month later than in 2016. Nymphs that hatched from the later eggs (in 2015) had significantly higher relative growth rates than the early-season nymphs (in 2016) at 20, 22, and 24°C under both photoperiods. This discrepancy between years was probably related to the maternal effect, namely, the difference in the female physiological age.

The paper summarizes new and literature data on the species composition, trophic relationships, and population dynamics of phyllophagous lepidopterans dominant on woody plants in St. Petersburg and its environs (Russia). Most of these species have concealed larvae (e.g., leaf miners and leaf rollers), and some of them are invasive. The data were accumulated during approximately a hundred years of observations and field collections. Concealed species form the dominant group within the studied complex of phyllophagous moths in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Province (27 species from 13 families). Changes in the composition of dominant pests of the dog rose, bird cherry, elm, poplar, and other woody plants have been recorded. Outbreaks of some species, such as Phyllonorycter salicicolella (Gracillariidae), Archips rosana (Tortricidae), Leucoma salicis, Lymantria monacha, and Orgyia antiqua (Erebidae), were recorded during the XX century but since about 1980 the population density of these species has remained at a very low level. Another group of species, which includes Phyllonorycter populifoliella (Gracillariidae), Batrachedra praeangusta (Batrachedridae), Acleris bergmanniana, and Epinotia abbreviana (Tortricidae), demonstrated a sharp increase in population density in the 1990–2000s, a phenomenon which had not been observed before. The possible causes of such population dynamics are discussed. The dominant species of phyllophagous micro-lepidopterans, including some recent invaders (e.g., Cameraria ohridella and Phyllonorycter issikii, Gracillariidae) and adventive species (e.g., Ph. populifoliella and Ph. acerifoliella, Gracillariidae) pose a serious threat to woody plants in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Province.

The bark beetle, Ips stebbingi Strohmeyer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is one of the most serious pests of Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jacks (Pinaceae) in Kashmir Himalaya. In order to find an effective biocontrol agent against this pest, we determined the effectiveness of entomopathogenic fungi, viz. Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato (Metchnikoff) Sorokin, and Lecanicillium lecanii (Zimmerman) Zare et Gams against I. stebbingi in the laboratory conditions. Each fungal suspension contained 1.0 × 10⁹ spores of fungi in 1 ml. The insecticide (cyclone 505 EC) was also used as positive control in the experiment. The mortality caused with these fungi was recorded in treated branches and Petri dish assay. In treated branches, B. bassiana and M. anisopliae caused higher mortality, i.e., 68% and 71.25%, respectively, 10 days after treatment, and 93.10% and 88%, respectively, 20 days after treatment. The results of Petri dish assay revealed that I. stebbingi adults were highly susceptible to both treated fungal species and insecticide. However, B. bassiana and M. anisopliae caused higher percentage mortality six days after treatment, i.e., 94.16% and 100% respectively. The percentage of mortality caused by treating with insecticide was 60%. Lecanicillium lecanii was found significantly less virulent (mortality 18.33%) in all fungal treatments. Results obtained in the present study are promising and may be used as alternative means of chemical control for management of this beetle pest; however, no recommendations concerning the potential use of these fungal pathogens for forest protection can be given, and further studies are needed in this respect, especially under field conditions.

The nest structure of Alastor mocsaryi in trap nests was studied in Crimea. Fifteen nests were examined, located inside hollow reed stems 3.0–4.8 mm in inner diameter. The nests contained 1–9 cells separated by partitions. These were made of gravel cemented with soil mastic or sand. The bottom partitions (present in 14 nests) and final plugs (present in 2 nests) also contained loose gravel particles. The mean cell length was greater in the nests made in narrow cavities than in those made in broad cavities. The mean length of a cell with a female exceeded that of a cell with a male. Females provisioned the nest cells with weakly paralyzed larvae of curculionid beetles. The cocoon looked as whitish cobweb-like film and could be detached from the cell walls. The prepupae retained a high level of mobility during winter hibernation. Adult feeding was recorded on flowers of 12 plant species belonging to 9 families. Only 3 of them had nectar accessible to A. mocsaryi while 9 species were specialized melittophilous (7 species) or psychophilous plants (2 species). The wasps obtained nectar from flowers of the latter plants through holes in the perianth which they gnawed out with their mandibles. The nest partitions were found to contain monosaccharides; this indicates that wasp females use nectar as building material, to moisten and bond dry soil and sand particles. Water collection by female A. mocsaryi was recorded only once. The species is univoltine. The sex ratio is female-biased. Attachment behavior of the females to the point of their emergence from mother nests (philopatry) was recorded. The nests were infested with the parasitoid wasps Melittobia acasta and Hoplocryptus coxator, a larva of the beetle Trichodes apiarius, and a puparium of an unidentified tachinid fly. The progeny mortality was 38.8%. Nesting of A. mocsaryi is discussed in relation to the phylogenetic position of the genus Alastor. The use of nectar as building material may be related to nectar robbing from the flowers of many plant species; this feature may also be characteristic of some other members of the subfamily Eumeninae.

Courtship behavior was studied in three sibling species of the Drosophila virilis group: D. virilis, D. lummei, and D. littoralis. The latter species was represented by two strains the founders of which had been collected in the habitats of the southern and northern races of D. littoralis whose status is equivalent to subspecies. Con- and heterospecific tests were analyzed by video-typing. Analyses of conspecific tests of D. virilis and D. lummei revealed no differences in the duration of courtship elements and their latencies. By contrast, comparison of heterospecific tests of ♀ D. virilis + ♂ D. lummei and ♀ D. lummei + ♂ D. virilis showed a much lower duration of all the main courtship elements (touching, licking, and singing), as well as a significantly lower percentage of copulation. Comparison of con- and heterospecific tests of the northern and southern races of D. littoralis revealed some differences in the courtship structure, but no obstacles to successful mating were observed in heterospecific tests of the two races. By contrast, large differences in the structure of the courtship ritual were observed in heterospecific reciprocal tests of D. littoralis + D. virilis and D. littoralis + D. lummei. The males of the D. virilis phylad lost interest in D. littoralis females immediately after the beginning of touching. On the contrary, D. littoralis males demonstrated a complete courtship ritual towards both D. lummei and D. virilis females. At the same time, all the heterospecific tests of D. lummei + D. littoralis and D. virilis + D. littoralis were characterized by the lowest incidence of copulation.

Variation in the spermathecal bulb morphology was studied in two species of the genus Palomena Mulsant et Rey, 1866: P. prasina (Linnaeus, 1761) and P. viridissima (Poda, 1761). The spermathecal bulb bears 2–4 processes of different shape and length and is highly variable in both species. The bulb with 2 processes predominates in P. viridissima (75% of specimens examined) while the bulb with 3 processes is marginally more common in P. prasina (56% of specimens examined). The processes are mostly straight in the former species and often curved in different ways in the latter species. The highest variation of the spermathecal bulb in P. viridissima was observed in Primorskii Territory, i.e., the easternmost part of the species range, and in P. prasina, in European Russia and Central Asia. Up to three different types of the spermathecal bulb were found in specimens from one collection locality. Geographic variation of this character was assessed using rarefaction curves to eliminate dependence on the sample size. In some cases, differences in the spermathecal bulb structure were greater between certain geographic populations of the same species than between the two species. Principal component analysis showed that despite the above trends, the two Palomena species did not differ significantly in the spermatheca structure. Therefore, the use of this character for taxa identification requires caution, particularly when conclusions are based on examination of one or a few preparations.

An annotated checklist of 212 species belonging to 56 genera of the 11 subfamilies in 3 families of leaf beetles from Omsk Province, West Siberia, is provided. 135 species are recorded for the region for the first time. Records of 201 species are documented by the collection material; the rest are based on the literature data. The distribution of Oulema melanopus, Cryptocephalus solivagus, C. bameuli, and Pachybrachis fimbriolatus and the absence of their sibling species in the region are reported.

A total of 17 species belonging to 3 genera of the subfamily Ephedrinae (Hymenoptera, Aphidiidae) are recorded from the former USSR: Ephedrus Haliday, 1835 (15), Lysephedrus Starý, 1958 (1), Toxares Haliday, 1833 (1 species). Five species, E. chaitophori Gärdenfors, 1986, E. koponeni Halme, 1992, E. helleni Mackauer, 1968, E. laevicollis (Thomson, 1895), and E. vaccinii Gärdenfors, 1986, are recorded from Russia for the first time. The distribution of all the 12 species already known from Russia is clarified.

The following six new species of the genus Thinodromus Kraatz, 1857, closely related to Th. (Amisammus) ripicola (Cameron, 1941) and Th. (A.) latus Gildenkov, 2003, are described: Th. (A.) idemussp. n., Th. (A.) leviterussp. n., and Th. (A.) breviterussp. n. from Southeastern China, Th. (A.) asperopunctussp. n. from Sichuan, Th. (A.) flavofinesussp. n. from Hong Kong, and Th. (A.) tenebrius sp. n. from northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Lectotype of Trogophloeus ripicola Cameron, 1941 is designated.

Thompsonirhinus (Thompsonirhinus) weigelisp. n. from Vietnam is described and illustrated. It differs from other species of the genus Thompsonirhinus in the reddish brown elytra and brown abdomen. The new species is similar to Th. (Th.) decoomani Legalov, 2007 but differs in a longer rostrum, wider elytra with more strongly convex intervals, shorter arms of the arcuate sclerite and almost parallel margins of the bottom sclerite of the endophallus armament. From Th. (Th.) batangensis Legalov, 2007 the new species differs in the black head, insertion of the antennae near the middle of the rostrum, wider and more densely punctate pronotum, wider elytra with narrower intervals, and the endophallic armament.

Three new species of gelechiid moths (Gelechiidae) are described from the arid regions of the southeastern European part of Russia (Astrakhan and Orenburg provinces): Bryotropha satschkovisp. n., Monochroa aenigmasp. n., and Scrobipalpa achtubicasp. n.

In September 2018, a Nearctic weevil, Sphenophorus placidus vestitus Chittenden, recently introduced in the Western Mediterranean, was first found on Corfu Island, Greece.