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The invasive North American leaf-mining moth Coptodisca lucifluella (Clemens, 1860) (Lepidoptera: Heliozelidae) is reported for the first time in Russia and Abkhazia based on findings of the leaf mines on Carya illinoinensis, Car. tomentosa, Pterocarya fraxinifolia, Juglans regia, and J. nigra in Sochi, Sirius, Crimea, and Abkhazian settlements in 2023 and 2024. The species was identified by DNA barcoding of two larvae dissected from the leaf mines and by morphology of adults grown from the leaf mines in 2024. The analysis of DNA barcoding data of the Russian and Abkhazian specimens together with those from Europe (invaded range) and North America (native range), publicly available in BOLD and/or GenBank, defined relatively low (1.45%) intraspecific variability. High interspecific divergence (over 9%) was detected when comparing C. lucifluella with another invasive North American heliozelid, C. juglandiella, currently spreading in Europe but not yet recorded in Russia and Abkhazia. The leaf mines of C. lucifluella (Chambers, 1874) were notably abundant on the North American pecan, Car. illinoinensis, widely cultivated in orchards and urban area in Southern Russia and Abkhazia. Around 162±23 mines (maximal of 216 mines) and 182±30 mines (maximal of 269 mines) per a compound leaf were documented in Sochi (Russia) and Gulrypsh District (Abkhazia), respectively. In Abkhazia, up to 35% parasitism rate was recorded, with unidentified Eulophidae as a main cause. The overview of the modern range of C. lucifluella and the note on its bionomics in the studied localities are provided. Furthermore, the potential of the species spread in Russia and beyond (in particular to Caucasus and Asian countries) is discussed.

The four-eyed fir bark beetle Polygraphus proximus Blandford, 1894 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is an invasive species that originates from the Far East. Since early 2000s, it became known as an aggressive pest causing massive dieback of Siberian fir (Abies sibirica Ledeb.) in Siberia and, to some extent, in the European part of Russia. Here, we report the first record of P. proximus in Sverdlovsk Region (the Middle Urals, Russia). In summer 2023, A. sibirica trees colonized by the pest were discovered on the territory of the “Olenyi Ruchyi” Natural Park. The dendrochronological analysis of the cores of fir trees killed by the beetle indicated that the majority (72%) of these trees died in 2021–2022, while the earliest tree death occured already in 2007 and 2009, meaning that the pest was present in the Natural Park for at least two decades. Mycological analysis of bark and wood samples of infested trees revealed the fungus colonies assigned to Grosmannia aoshimae (Ohtaka, Masuya & Yamaoka) Masuya & Yamaoka. Associated with P. proximus, this Far Eastern fungus species has spread with the beetle to Siberia and the Urals, contributing to tree mortality. Siberian fir is present on 69% of the forested area in the “Olenyi Ruchyi”. The colonization of fir trees by P. proximus recorded in the park in 2023 alarms about the high risk of the pest outbreak in the coming years, which may lead to subsequent tree death over a huge territory of the park affecting its ecological, cultural, and recreational values. To prevent the dramatic impact, it is highly urgent to take all the necessary measures to suppress the distribution and combat this alien pest.

The North American leaf-mining moth Chrysaster ostensackenella (Fitch, 1859) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is an invasive species newly documented in Russia in 2022 based on our findings in Primorsky Territory. The article provides data on its biology and distribution in the southern part of the region in 2023. A survey of Robinia pseudoacacia (a host plant) carried out in 12 distant settlements revealed widespread spread of Ch. ostensackenella: from the town of Spassk-Dalniy (44°36′N, 132°49′E) on the north to the village of Khasan (42°25′N, 130°38′E) on the south. Significant plant damage (>50% of leaves with the mines) was documented in the city of Artem and the village of Sinyi Gai, moderate (>25%) in Khasan, Bolshoi Kamen and Ussuriysk, and low damage (

The four-eyed fir bark beetle, Polygraphus proximus Blandford, 1894 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), is an aggressive invasive species originating from Far East. Over the past two decades, it distributed across Siberia, traversed the Urals and invaded some regions of the European part of Russia. In the secondary range, the pest kills heathy tree stands of Siberian fir, Abies sibirica Ledeb. (Pinaceae), both in native forests and man-made plantings, resulting in profound ecological and economic consequences. Here we report the first documented occurrence of this invasive pest in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Infested Siberian fir trees were discovered in the forest nearby Karaguzhikha village (East Kazakhstan Region), approximately 43 km away from Novoaleiskoye village (Altai Territory, Russia), where the pest was detected in 2016. The presence of trees colonized by the invasive pest and dead trees with specific symptoms in the examined forest stand suggest that P. proximus has likely been present in northeastern Kazakhstan for around a decade. The illustrations of affected habitat, male and female beetles and their morphological features are provided, and the early data on the damage caused by P. proximus and the potential for range expansions are discussed. The monitoring would be required to define the actual frontier of the pest distribution in Kazakhstan. Furthermore, it is imperative to alert the relevant authorities in Kazakhstan about the potential threat posed by this invasive tree-killer to native fir stands in the country.

The Siberian moth, Dendrolimus sibiricus Tschetv., 1908 (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) is a conifer pest that causes unprecedented forest mortality in Northern Asia, leading to enormous ecological and economic losses. This is the first study summarizing data on the parasitoid diversity and parasitism of this pest over the last 118 years (1905–2022). Based on 860 specimens of freshly reared and archival parasitoids, 16 species from two orders (Hymenoptera and Diptera) were identified morphologically and/or with the use of DNA barcoding. For all of them, data on distribution and hosts and images of parasitoid adults are provided. Among them, the braconid species, Meteorus versicolor (Wesmael, 1835), was documented as a parasitoid of D. sibiricus for the first time. The eastern Palaearctic form, Aleiodes esenbeckii (Hartig, 1838) dendrolimi (Matsumura, 1926), status nov., was resurrected from synonymy as a valid subspecies, and a key for its differentiation from the western Palaearctic subspecies Aleiodes esenbeckii ssp. esenbecki is provided. DNA barcodes of 11 parasitoid species from Siberia, i.e., nine hymenopterans and two dipterans, represented novel records and can be used for accurate molecular genetic identification of species. An exhaustive checklist of parasitoids accounting for 93 species associated with D. sibirisus in northern Asia was compiled. Finally, the literature and original data on parasitism in D. sibiricus populations for the last 83 years (1940–2022) were analysed taking into account the pest population dynamics (i.e., growth, outbreak, decline, and depression phases). A gradual time-lagged increase in egg and pupal parasitism in D. sibiricus populations was detected, with a peak in the pest decline phase. According to long-term observations, the following species are able to cause significant mortality of D. sibiricus in Northern Asia: the hymenopteran egg parasitoids Telenomus tetratomus and Ooencyrtus pinicolus; the larval parasitoids Aleiodes esenbeckii sp. dendrolimi, Cotesia spp., and Glyptapanteles liparidis; and the dipteran pupal parasitoids Masicera sphingivora, Tachina sp., and Blepharipa sp. Their potential should be further explored in order to develop biocontrol programs for this important forest pest.

Here we overviewed the taxonomic diversity and compiled the checklist of gall-forming poplar aphids (Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae, Pemphigini) in the Asian part of Russia. Overall, 20 species, i.e. 18 Pemphigus and two Thecabius spp. were proven to have distribution in this macroregion. Based on our field study, following seven species represented novel geographical records. Among them, Pem. iskanderkuli Narzikulov is new for Asian Russia as per the record in Tuva Republic, and six species, Pem. matsumurai Monzen, Pem. microsetosus Aoki, Pem. plicatus Dolgova, Pem. populi Courchet, Pem. protospirae Lichtenstein, Th. latisensorius Hori, are new for some administrative regions of Siberia and/or the Russian Far East. Pemphigus passeki Börner, Pem. spyrothecae Passerini are alien species for the Asian part of Russia. Eight species, Pem. borealis Tullgren, Pem. bursarius (Linnaues), Pem. matsumurai Monzen, Pem. populi Courchet, Pem. passeki Börner, Pem. protospirae Lichtenstein, Pem. spyrothecae Passerini, Th. affinis (Kaltenbach), were documented in the Asian part of Russia as pests of poplars.

Abstract The lime leaf-miner, Phyllonorycter issikii is an invasive micromoth with an unusually higher number of haplotypes in the invaded area (Europe, Western Siberia) compared to its putative native region (East Asia). The origin of the genetic diversity in the neocolonized region remains unclear. We surveyed over 15 thousand herbarium specimens of lime trees (Tilia spp.) collected across the Palearctic over a period of 252 years (1764–2016) looking for preserved larvae within the archival leaf mines. We found 203 herbarium specimens with leaf mines of Ph. issikii collected in East Asia, one of them dating back to 1830, i.e. 133 years before the description of the species. In contrast, only 22 herbarium specimens collected in the West Palearctic in the last three decades (1987–2015) carried leaf mines. DNA barcoding of archival specimens revealed 32 haplotypes out of which 23 were novel (not known from modern populations) and found exclusively in East Asia. Six haplotypes are shared between both native and invaded areas and only two were responsible for the recent invasion of the Western Palearctic. The remarkable number of newly discovered haplotypes in archival populations supports East Asia as the native region and the source area of invasion.

A new species of leaf-mining moth described here as Micrurapteryx baranchikovi Kirichenko, Akulov & Triberti, sp. nov. was detected in large numbers feeding on Thermopsis lanceolata (Fabaceae) in the Republic of Khakassia (Russia) in 2020. A morphological diagnosis of adults, bionomics and DNA barcoding data of the new species are provided. The developmental stages (larva, pupa, adult), male and female genitalia, as well as the leaf mines and the infestation plot in Khakassia are illustrated; the pest status of the new species in the studied region is discussed. Additionally, parasitism rate was estimated, the parasitoid wasps reared from pupae of the new species were identified (morphologically and genetically) and illustrated . Among them, one ichneumonid, Campoplex sp. aff. borealis (Zetterstedt) and two braconids, Agathis fuscipennis (Zetterstedt) and Illidops subversor (Tobias et Kotenko), are novel records for the Republic of Khakassia. Furthermore, they are all documented as parasitoids of Gracillariidae for the first time. The DNA barcode of A. fuscipennis is newly obtained and can be used as a reference sequence for species identification.

The article provides first records of 20 true bugs species (Heteroptera) from seven families (Lygaeidae, Miridae, Tingidae, Acanthosomatidae, Berytidae, and Saldidae) in Kemerovo Region, Western Siberia, Russia. These species, except two, are known in other regions of the Asian part of Russia, thus, the novel data clarify their up-to-date distribution. Most of true bugs, including an alien Hoplomachus thunbergii (Fallén) (i.e. 70% of all species in the study) were found in two botanical gardens (Kuzbasskiy and Orbita) in Kemerovo Region, highlighting the importance of surveying such plantings when running faunal studies and inventories. Two alien species, H. thunbergii (fam. Miridae) and Arocatus rufipes Stål (fam. Lygaeidae) originating from the European and Far Eastern parts of Russia respectively, were found in the city of Kemerovo and represent novel records for the Asian part of Russia (the former species) and Siberia (the latter species). These species could be introduced to Kemerovo Region with plants for planting, plant material or transported with human vehicles. Further studies would be needed to confirm this hypothesis. Here we provide short synopses of the bionomics, distributional records and trophic associations for all species newly documented in Kemerovo Region. The images of adults and male genitalia are given for the majority of species.

Here, we report the first detection of the North American leaf-mining moth Chrysaster ostensackenella (Fitch, 1859) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) on North American black locust Robinia pseudoacacia (Fabaceae) in Primorsky Krai (the Russian Far East) in July 2022. Overall, six moths were reared from the leaf mines and identified based on adult morphology (forewing pattern and male genitalia) and three of them were DNA barcoding. Description of the leaf mines that allowed us to distinguish the damage of Ch. ostensackenella from other gracillariids associated with R. pseudoacacia is provided. The phylogeographic analysis comparing the DNA barcodes from Russia with those from other invaded countries in Europe (Italy) and East Asia (South Korea and Japan) and from the native range (North America) was performed. Intraspecific genetic diversity reached 3.29%. Altogether, 10 haplotypes were revealed among 21 studied specimens in the Holarctic. The detection of one haplotype common for Japan and the USA (North Carolina) suggests that the invasion to East Asia could have happened from the USA directly, rather than through Europe. A shared haplotype defined for Japan and the Russian Far East points at a possible moth species’ spread to Primorsky Krai from earlier invaded Hokkaido. Further distribution of Ch. ostensackenella in East Asia and Europe is expected, bearing in mind the wide planting of R. pseudoacacia in these continents. Furthermore, an accidental introduction of the moth to the Southern Hemisphere, where black locust was introduced, is not ruled out.

Arboreta serve as effective tools for identifying alien insect pests and novel trophic associations. In this study, we used an arboretum in Slovenia to survey woody plants and identify both alien and native leaf miners. The leaves and twigs of 50 woody plant species and their cultivars were examined for characteristic damage. We used an integrative approach that combined identification based on leaf mines and DNA barcoding of the larvae and pupae found in the mines. In total, 62 leaf-mining species were identified, including eight alien species, of which the heliozelid Coptodisca lucifluella (Clemens, 1860) and the agromyzid Cerodontha unisetiorbita Zlobin, 1992 were documented for Slovenia for the first time. Additionally, three presumably native Gracillariidae moths Phyllocnistis labyrinthella (Bjerkander, 1790), P. ramulicola Langmaid & Corley, 2007 and P. saligna (Zeller, 1839) represented the first record for Slovenia. Furthermore, we documented 23 novel-to-science trophic associations, 20 of which involved native insects and alien woody plants, primarily from Asia. This study highlights the importance of arboreta and botanical gardens for the interception of invasive alien insects and the early detection of trophic shifts of native insects to alien plants, which can aid in predicting their potential spread.

Based on the intensive monitoring conducted by our team and volunteers in 2021, the secondary range of an alien horse-chestnut leaf miner, Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimić, 1986 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), was specified in European Russia. This invasive pest was confirmed in 24 out of 58 administrative regions of Russia, which it has occupied for approximately 16 years. Analysis of the COI mtDNA gene sequenced in 201 specimens collected in 21 regions of the European part of Russia indicates the occurrence of two haplotypes (A and B), which are also present in the secondary range of C. ohridella in Eastern and Western Europe. The haplotype A dominated and was present in 87.5% of specimens from European Russia. In 2021, C. ohridella produced spectacular outbreaks in Aesculus hippocastanum in southern Russia, where it damaged more than 50% of the leaves in trees in 24 out of 30 distant localities. In the south of the country, the pest infested Acer pseudoplatanus, whereas other species of Acer of European, East Asian, and North American origin showed no signs of attacks. Taking into account that Ae. hippocastanum is present in most regions of European Russia, we expect a further range expansion of C. ohridella up to the Ural Mountains.

We report the results of a faunistic study of Microlepidoptera performed in Southern Siberia using diverse sampling techniques allowing to cover various taxonomic groups. The provided taxonomic list is comprised of 64 species from 44 genera and 18 families, where all species represent novel geographical records. Of them, only 62 species inhabit Southern Siberia, the other two species, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) and Carposina sasakii Matsumura are quarantine pests intercepted in this region. Eighteen genera and 3 families (Glyphipterigidae, Chimabachidae, and Oecophoridae) are reported for the first time from the studied region. Overall, 11 species from 7 families are novel for Siberia. Two species, Bucculatrix pannonica and Coleophora curictae, are newly recorded in Russia. For the species newly recorded in the fauna of Siberia and Russia, male or female genitalia are illustrated. For Coleophora curictae, representing a novel record for Russia, the bionomics is given for the first time. Keywords: Microlepidoptera, New regional records, Quarantine species, Russia, Southern Siberia

Gracillariidae is one of the richest families of leaf mining moths, known by its ornamental and orchard plant pests expanding their primary ranges. We here provide a revised checklist of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera) of Slovenia that presently accounts for 123 species. Among them, four species, Dialectica imperialella (Zeller, 1847), Phyllonorycter abrasella (Duponchel, 1843), Ph. trifoliella (Gerasimov, 1933), and Phyllocnistis valentinensis M. Hering, 1936, are new records for the country. The distribution of the other three species in Slovenia, Caloptilia honoratella (Rebel, 1914), Dialectica scalariella (Zeller, 1850), and Ph. messaniella (Zeller, 1846), is clarified. For the above seven species, short synopses of the bionomics, a current range, and images of biotopes, adult moths and their genitalia are provided. For P. valentinensis sampled at a larval stage, the DNA barcode was obtained to confirm the species identification. Given the known distribution of some of the newly recorded moths in Europe, we believe that these species do not represent a new invasion but rather are discoveries of native species, except for the newly documented Ph. trifoliella in Slovenia, which is likely to be an alien species for the country.

The lime leaf miner Phyllonorycter issikii (Kumata) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is an east Asian pest, which has recently distributed across the Palaearctic. Here, we provide the novel data on the diversity of its parasitoids in the Russian Far East (native region) and western Siberia (invaded region). Overall, 19 parasitoids from the Eulophidae (17 species) and Braconidae (2 species) reared from the Ph. issikii larvae and pupae were identified based on morphology and/or DNA barcoding. Among them, 12 species were detected in the Primorskiy Territory (Russian Far East) and 10 species in the Novosibirsk Province (Western Siberia), with only 3 shared species, namely Chrysocharis laomedon (Walker), Elachertus inunctus Nees and Sympiesis gordius (Walker). Pleurotroppopsis japonica (Kamijo) is a novel record for Russia, whereas the other eight eulophids are novel for the Novosibisk Province and two for the Primorskiy Territory. The eulophid Mischotetrastichus nadezhdae (Kostjukov) was recorded as a parasitoid of Ph. issikii for the first time. Four new species were described from the Primorskiy Territory: Achrysocharoides nagasawi sp. nov., A. carinatus sp. nov., Cirrospilus ussuriensis sp. nov., Pholetesor nataliae sp. nov. For all parasitoids, the distribution and hosts are listed; the majority of the species are illustrated. In addition, a checklist of the Ph. issikii parasitoids counting 79 species is compiled for the Palaearctic region.

Invasive alien insects cause serious ecological and economical losses around the world. Here, we review the bionomics, modern ranges (and their dynamics), distribution pathways, monitoring, and control measures of 14 insect species known to be important invasive and emerging tree pests in forest and urban ecosystems of Russia: Leptoglossus occidentalis (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Coreidae), Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Corythucha arcuata (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae), Agrilus fleischeri, A. mali, A. planipennis, Lamprodila (Palmar) festiva (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Ips amitinus, Polygraphus proximus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Cydalima perspectalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Acrocercops brongniardella, Cameraria ohridella, Phyllonorycter issikii, and P. populifoliella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). We identified three major scenarios of tree pest invasions in the country and beyond: (1) a naturally conditioned range expansion, which results in the arrival of a pest to a new territory and its further naturalization in a recipient region; (2) a human-mediated, long-distance transfer of a pest to a new territory and its further naturalization; and (3) a widening of the pest’s trophic niche and shift to new host plant(s) (commonly human-introduced) within the native pest’s range frequently followed by invasion to new regions.