New for Lithuania aphid species of the tribe Eulachnini (Hemiptera: Aphididae, Lachninae): is there any threat to local coniferous forests?

Abstract

Information about Eulachnini species in Lithuania concerns fragmentary faunistic data, therefore, their diversity, abundancy and ecological specificity is insufficiently studied. The aim of this work was to present available information on the new to Lithuania Eulachnini aphid species detected on coniferous plants in Lithuania in 2004 - 2017, with special regard to their potential impacts on forestry. Partial COI sequences (652 bp) were used to confirm morphology-based identification of new to Lithuania Eulachnini species and to investigate their genetic diversity and relationships with samples collected in other countries. Twenty-seven aphid species of the tribe Eulachnini were detected in 2004 – 2017 in Lithuania. Eight of them are reported from Lithuania for the first time: Cinara (Cinara) brauni, C. (C.) kochiana, C. (C.) neubergi, C. (C.) laricis, C. (C.) pectinatae, C. (C.) piceae, Eulachnus brevipilosus and E. nigricola. Five species of Eulachnini (C. (C.) piceae, C. (C.) nuda, C. (C.) piceicola, C. (C.) pinea, and C. (C.) pini) appeared to be most promising honey dew producers because their host plants, Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris, are the most common conifers in Lithuania. Although five species of Eulachnini were listed in the identification key of forest pests in Lithuania, none of them were of particular importance for now. Out of the recently reported species, only Cinara piceae may be a potential forest pest as it appeared to be rather common in Lithuania and it has been reported as a pest of firs in nurseries of Czech Republic and Northern Caucasus. Most of the samples from Lithuania represented COI haplotypes, which were not previously detected in other countries.