Abstract. Aphid species Aphis pomi (de Geer, 1773) is oligophagous on pomoideous host plants, whilst Aphis spiraecola Patch, 1914 is a polyphagous species alternating between Spiraea spp., its primary host, and a wide variety of secondary hosts, also including pomoideous species. Despite the biological distinction, these species are difficult to separate using their morphological characters. Partial sequences of mitochondrial COI and nuclear EF-1α genes were analyzed for samples from Central and Eastern Europe, Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey, China together with available data from GenBank. Interspecific pairwise sample divergences of the COI fragment ranged from 3.1 to 4.3%. One COI haplotype of A. pomi was predominant (n = 24), with a pan European distribution. The most abundant COI haplotype of A. spiraecola (n = 16) occurred in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Italy, Turkey and China. Interspecific pairwise sample divergences of the EF-1α fragment ranged from 0.6 to 1.2%. Analyzed partial sequences of EF-1α were identical in A. pomi. The most abundant EF-1α haplotype of A. spiraecola (n = 14) occurred in Lithuania, Poland, Italy, Turkey and China. The length of ultimate rostral segment appeared to be the most reliable morphological character for discrimination between apple and spirea aphid species. It allowed a 100% correct identification of A. pomi (n = 143) and 91.5% of A. spiraecola (n = 94) specimens in the European samples used for the molecular analysis. The existence of A. spiraecola in the Eastern Baltic region of Europe is documented for the first time.

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Brachycaudus divaricatae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a recent invader to Europe, has already reached Czech Republic. Partial sequences of mitochondrial COI and nuclear EF-1α genes have been analysed across the sixteen Czech samples of B. divaricatae, together with morphometric analysis of the same samples based on eighteen morphological characters of the apterous viviparous females. For comparative studies, thirteen samples from the Eastern Baltic region of Europe (Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) were used. All sampled populations appeared similar in their genetic and morphological characters studied. One haplotype of mitochondrial COI gene was predominant; it was characteristic for all samples from Czech Republic and 8 out of 13 samples from Eastern Baltic region. Two other haplotypes were found in the Eastern Baltic region only. Four different haplotypes of EF-1α gene were detected. Most of the samples (except one sample from the Eastern Baltic region and two samples from Czech Republic) had the same haplotype. Out of remaining three haplotypes, one was unique for the Eastern Baltic region, whilst two were found in Czech Republic only. For the present, Moravia is the southernmost region in Europe, where B. divaricatae has been already reported. Presumably, this invasive aphid species has entered the Czech Republic from the north via the Moravian Gate, a natural pass formed by the depression between the Western Carpathians and Eastern Sudetes.

Cryptomyzus leonuri is the least investigated species of this genus in Europe. So far, the description of one morph, an apterous viviparous female, has been published (Bozhko 1961), and its life cycle remains unclear. This paper presents descriptions of previously unknown alate viviparous females, males and oviparous females of C. leonuri and the redescription of an apterous viviparous female, which has been also compared with the original description (Bozhko 1961) and character values indicated in the identification key of European species of the genus Cryptomyzus (Guldemond 1991a). Results of experimental cloning and the test on the possible host plant range are also summarised and measurements of both clonal and field samples are presented.