Abstract. An invasive sawfly Aproceros leucopoda Takeuchi, 1939, which originates from East Asia, has colonized elms (Ulmus spp.) in Austria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Ukraine, at least since 2003. In Europe, the larvae can completely defoliate native and non-native elm trees and may cause at least partial dieback. Field observations indicate that elms are infested independent of their age and site characteristics. The life cycle of A. leucopoda is described based on material reared in Hokkaido, Japan. Parthenogenetic reproduction, short life cycle of summer generations and the ability to produce four generations per year result in the production of numerous progeny. The evolution of a seasonal dimorphism in head morphology, a simple cocoon that is attached directly to the host plant and a short period spent in the cocoon stage during summer, are putative apomorphies shared by Aproceros Takeuchi, 1939 and Aprosthema Konow, 1899. These traits reduce developmental costs and contribute to the proliferation of A. leucopoda. No specialized parasitoid, that can effectively reduce outbreaks of this species, is known. It is likely that this pest will spread into central and south-western Europe. Further monitoring of A. leucopoda is required to assess future range extensions in Europe, its exacerbating effect on Dutch elm disease and to find a suitable biocontrol agent. Concise keys to imaginal and larval stages are presented that will facilitate the identification of A. leucopoda.

To clarify mortality patterns of current-year shoots within the crown of Betula maximowicziana Regel after severe insect herbivory in central Hokkaido, northern Japan, we investigated the degree of defoliation, pattern of shoot development, shoot mortality, and leaf tissue-water relations. One hundred current-year long shoots growing in a B. maximowicziana plantation were observed for defoliation and mortality in June 2002. An outbreak of herbivorous insects (Caligula japonica and Lymantria dispar praeterea) occurred in the stand in midto-late June, and the monitored shoots were defoliated to various degrees. Within 1 month of defoliation, some of the severely defoliated shoots had produced new leaves on short shoots that had emerged from axillary buds.Stepwise logistic regression revealed that the probability that current-year long shoots would put out axillary short shoots with leaves is closely related to the degree of defoliation. To evaluate the water relations of the leaves, we determined pressure-volume curves for the leaves that survived the herbivorous insect outbreak and the new leaves that emerged after defoliation. The water potential at turgor loss (W l,tlp ) and the osmotic potential at full turgidity (W p,sat ) were higher for the new leaves than for the surviving leaves, indicating a lower ability to maintain leaf cell turgor against leaf dehydration in the new leaves. Of the 100 shoots, 13 died after the emergence of new leaves. Stepwise logistic regression revealed that the probability that the long shoots would die generally increased with the emergence of new leaves, with increasing shoot height. This result suggests that the combined effect of the vulnerability of newly emerged leaves and low water availability, associated with higher shoot positions within the crown, caused shoot mortality. Based on our results, some possible mechanisms for mortality in severely defoliated B. maximowicziana are discussed.

Regio- and stereoisomers of 1,2,ω-trimethyldecyl propionate (ω = 5–9) were prepared from stereochemically pure chiral building blocks as sex pheromone candidates of a pine sawfly; Diprion  nipponica. Among the synthesized candidates, (1S,2R,8S)-1,2,8-trimethyldecyl propionate was found to be the sex pheromone of D.  nipponica, based on compatibility of its GC-MS data with that of the extract of females, and its significantly high pheromone activity in a field bioassay. The field bioassay of the synthesized compounds also revealed that (1S,2R,8R)-1,2,8-trimethyldecyl propionate, (1S,2R,7S)-1,2,7-trimethyldecyl propionate, and (1S,2R,6S)-1,2,6-trimethyldecyl propionate could attract male sawflies to some extent as pheromone mimics.

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(1S, 2R, 6RS)-1,2,6-Trimethyldecyl propionate, a lower homolog of the sex pheromone of known sawflies, strongly attracted Diprion nipponica, a popular species in Japan.