Distribution of Robinia pseudoacacia pests in the south of the Russian Far East

Abstract

In recent years, one of the problems associated with introduced woody plant species has been the invasion of pests and diseases into their secondary habitats. Such an invader in Russia, including the Far East, is Robinia pseudoacacia L. In order to assess the distribution of pests of this species in the south of the Far East and to evaluate the damage caused by them, monitoring of plantations in populated areas of the region is necessary. The article provides data on the distribution of pests R. pseudoacacia – Euura tibialis (Newmann, 1837) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), Obolodiplosis robiniae (Hald.,1847) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in the Primorsky Territory. Studies of the R. pseudoacacia plantings show that E. tibialis occurs in 9 of 24 localities. On each plant specimen, approximately 2–3%, in some cases up to 4%, of the leaf plates were damaged to a greater or lesser extent. The northernmost point of the pest distribution is the town of Luchegorsk, the southern point is the Slavyanka settlement. The most affected are the city of Ussuriysk and the village Sinij Gay. A pest such as O. robiniae is found in all the 24 surveyed settlements. The northernmost point of its distribution is the city of Luchegorsk, the southernmost point is the Hassan settlement. The most affected by this pest is the town of Artem, the town of Bolshoi Kamen, Khorol settlement, Tavrichanka village. Further monitoring of R. pseudoacacia plantations in the Primorsky Territory is necessary in order to determine the distribution of its pests and assess the damage they cause.