The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, is a beetle native to East Asia where it is considered a minor pest, preferentially attacking weakened or dying ash trees. It was first discovered in North America in 2002 and has since become one of the most serious invasive insect pests, killing millions of healthy ash trees in urban and forested settings. Similar damage is now occurring in the region of Moscow, Russia, which causes serious concern for Europe. In this paper, we review the current knowledge on A. planipennis in Asia and North America, provide new information on its occurrence in the region of Moscow and Eastern Russia and make recommendations for research and management strategies in Europe.

BackgroundMoths of genus Dendrolimus (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) are among the major pests of coniferous forests worldwide. Taxonomy and nomenclature of this genus are not entirely established, and there are many species with a controversial taxonomic position. We present a comparative evolutionary analysis of the most economically important Dendrolimus species in Eurasia.ResultsOur analysis was based on the nucleotide sequences of COI and COII mitochondrial genes and ITS2 spacer of nuclear ribosomal genes. All known sequences were extracted from GenBank. Additional 112 new sequences were identified for 28 specimens of D. sibiricus, D. pini, and D. superans from five regions of Siberia and the Russian Far East to be able to compare the disparate data from all previous studies. In total, 528 sequences were used in phylogenetic analysis. Two clusters of closely related species in Dendrolimus were found. The first cluster includes D. pini, D. sibiricus, and D. superans; and the second, D. spectabilis, D. punctatus, and D. tabulaeformis. Species D. houi and D. kikuchii appear to be the most basal in the genus.ConclusionGenetic difference among the second cluster species is very low in contrast to the first cluster species. Phylogenetic position D. tabulaeformis as a subspecies was supported. It was found that D. sibiricus recently separated from D. superans. Integration of D. sibiricus mitochondrial DNA sequences and the spread of this species to the west of Eurasia have been established as the cause of the unjustified allocation of a new species: D. kilmez. Our study further clarifies taxonomic problems in the genus and gives more complete information on the genetic structure of D. pini, D. sibiricus, and D. superans.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12863-016-0463-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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PRATIQUE is an EC-funded 7th Framework research project designed to address the major challenges for pest risk analysis (PRA) in Europe. It has three principal objectives: (a) to assemble the datasets required to construct PRAs valid for the whole of the EU, (b) to conduct multidisciplinary research that enhances the techniques used in PRA and (c) to provide a decision support scheme for PRA that is efficient and user-friendly. The research will be undertaken by scientists from 13 institutes in the EU and one each from Australia and New Zealand with subcontractors from institutes in China and Russia. They will produce a structured inventory of PRA datasets for the EU and undertake targeted research to improve existing procedures and develop new methods for (a) the assessment of economic, environmental and social impacts, (b) summarising risk while taking account of uncertainty, (c) mapping endangered areas (d) pathway risk analysis and systems approaches and (e) guiding actions during emergencies caused by outbreaks of harmful organisms. The results will be tested and provided as protocols, decision support systems and computer programs with examples of best practice linked to a computerised European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) PRA scheme.

1 The native range of the Siberian moth extends from the Pacific Ocean (Russian Far East, Japan and Northern Korea) across Siberia, Northern China and Mongolia to the Ural Mountains. At the beginning of the 21st Century, this species was documented west of the Ural Mountains in the Republic of Mari El, indicating range extension toward the west. 2 The Siberian moth has recently been suggested for regulation as a quarantine pest for European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization member countries. However, no specific report on European host plants for this pest has been published so far. 3 In the present study, larval host plant choice and performance was tested for the first time on coniferous tree species that are widely distributed and of commercial value in Europe. 4 Based on dual-choice tests on neonates and mortality, developmental duration and relative growth rates of the first-to sixth-instar larvae, we found European larch Larix decidua to be the most suitable host for the moth larvae, whereas European black pine Pinus nigra and Scots pine Pinus sylvestris were the poorest hosts. The remaining conifer species tested, European silver fir Abies alba , Nordmann fir Abies nordmanniana , and Norway spruce Picea abies , were intermediate host plants. Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii , originating from NorthAmerica, was chosen by the larvae to the same extend as European larch, and was also highly suitable for larval development. 5 If the moth is introduced to European countries, it will become damaging in stands of European larch and Douglas-fir, mixed stands of fir and spruce; however, it will be less damaging in forests dominated by two-needle pines. 6 We predict that Dendrolimus superans sibiricus will be able to survive and develop on the main European coniferous tree species, including non-native coniferous tree species, resulting in severe damage to large areas of forests.