The intermediate results of the development of the butterfly collection of The All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center (FGBU “VNIIKR”) Entomological Museum are summarized. The collection includes specimens from Eurasia, Africa, North and South America, both collected by the organization’s specialists and received as a gift from colleagues, including famous researchers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Photos of labels of historical significance are provided. An overview of each of the six families of butterflies is given, listing the species collected in the museum. The review includes interesting and informative facts about some butterfly species in the entomological fund, as well as color illustrations. The collection contains both ordinary butterfly species and unique ones, which include, in particular, Styx infernalis Staudinger, 1876 – an extremely rare endemic to Peru. The fund contains butterflies of quarantine and economic importance for various countries and international organizations, – Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758), Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767), Cacyreus marshalli Butler, [1898] – and others. Besides, the collection contains butterflies which demonstrate interesting evolutionary phenomena: polymorphism, parallelism, convergence, various types of mimicry, and others. There are also species characterized by unusual mating and territorial behavior. Some butterfly groups of FGBU “VNIIKR” Entomological Museum fund are involved in joint research projects with other scientific organizations, as well as to complete PhD and Advanced Doctor dissertations.

The genus Begomovirus is one of the largest among the genera of phytopathogenic viruses. Representatives of this genus infect dicotyledonous plants and are transmitted by the silverleaf whitefly. Previously, this genus was also known as subgroup III of the geminiviruses, or the Bean golden mosaic virus group. Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Sardinia Virus (TYLCSV), Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) belong to the genus Begomovirus and are serious pathogens of vegetable crops in open and protected ground. All these viruses are absent on the territory of the Russian Federation, and TYLCV is included in the Common List of Quarantine Pests of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Yield losses of tomato, pepper, zucchini and other vegetable crops as a result of infection with these pathogens can reach 100%. Timely detection of infected plants is essential to prevent the entry of viruses into the territory of the Russian Federation and their spread on it. Objective detection of especially dangerous viruses of the Begomovirus genus and their identification to the level of genus and species is possible only through the use of modern methods of laboratory diagnostics. During the research, the authors of the article tested 7 pairs of universal and 4 pairs of species-specific primers for classical polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR. Primers have been identified that allow universal detection of the begomovirus complex on vegetable crops. Multiplex PCR was tested to detect and identify TYLCV and TYLCSV simultaneously. The authors of the article developed primers with high specificity for TYLCV and TYLCSV.

The export of grain crops is an important part of the Russian economy. In connection with the international food crisis, grains are becoming a strategic raw material. The yield of grain crops depends on many factors, including the quality of seed material and plant resistance to numerous diseases. Barley stripe mosaic virus is a serious disease affecting grain crops, barley and wheat, and in experimental conditions – some other Poaceae and Amaranthaceae plants. This virus is included in the quarantine pest lists of many countries importing Russian grain, including the leaders in imports – Turkey and Egypt. The purpose of our studies was to evaluate diagnostic methods and compare the results obtained both during the applicability assessment and with real plant samples collected during scientific monitoring. The article presents an overview, a brief description of the virus, its peculiarities, as well as the results of testing modern detection and identification methods. During testing of test systems, positive controls and reference isolates of viruses that infect crops and potentially complicate diagnosis due to false positive results were used. The results of assessing the specificity and sensitivity of the test system for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed high sensitivity and specificity with all the viruses studied in the experiments, and therefore it was decided to conduct screening testing of grain crops selected during the study of the phytosanitary state of crops. A large number of seropositive samples were identified, which were subsequently subjected to testing by molecular methods – Russian test kits for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The test results showed that all seropositive samples did not confirm the presence of the target virus, and therefore it is necessary to conduct additional research into the causes of false positive reactions.

As part of the study of xylophages of potential phytosanitary importance, observations were made of the biological characteristics of bark beetles of the genera Tomicus and Scolytus in forest ecosystems and park plantations of southern Primorye. We studied the biological characteristics of bark beetles, including trophic specialization, phenology, and population dynamics of individual species. Observations of the phenology and ecology of larger pith borer Tomicus pilifer (Spessivtsev, 1919) were carried out in mountain mixed forests (Pinus koraiensis, Abies nephrolepis, Picea jezoensis, Betula dahurica, Betula costata), on the slopes of the southwestern exposure in the vicinity of the village of Anisimovka (Shkotovsky district). We determined the duration and timing of the flight of the Tomicus pilifer in a year with a cold period, which caused a delay in the development of xylophilous insect species. Under laboratory conditions, the timing of pupation, the birth of the young generation of Tomicus pilifer, and previously unknown features of the additional feeding of beetles were traced. It turned out that Tomicus pilifer in the process of additional feeding is able to damage Pinus sylvestris L., gnawing passages inside young shoots. Biological characteristics of 11 species of the genus Scolytus were studied in the forest ecosystems of southern Primorye. Most Scolytus are trophically associated with elms (Ulmaceae). The elm complex of Scolytus represents a potential invasive danger, since all these species successfully develop on Ulmus pumila L., which has a wide range and is actively used in landscaping settlements and park plantings in European Russia. In places where the biology of bark beetles was studied, we collected a xylophilic complex of insects, which, in addition to bark beetles, is dominated by species of the family Cerambycidae. A preliminary assessment of invasion risk by Far Eastern species into European Russia and their distribution in this territory was carried out.

The article presents the results of a study of a serious quarantine pest – four-eyed fir bark beetle Polygraphus proximus – in the period from April to September 2022 on the territory of the “Lakes on Snezhnaya” Ecopark (Slyudyansky district, Irkutsk Oblast). The aim of the work was to identify Polygraphus proximus, laying trial plots (TP) to determine its main population indicators and assess the state of fir forest stands. In all biocenoses of the ecopark and its environs, where the forest stand includes Siberian fir (Abies sibirica Ledeb.), it recorded the presence of Polygraphus proximus with varying degrees of occurrence. In the study area, coniferous species, in addition to Siberian fir, also grow Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) and Siberian cedar pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour), no pest was found on these coniferous species during the survey. Two TPs were established, differing in the composition of the forest stand and vegetation cover of the lower tier. The vital state of fir forest stands on the TPs during the study was assessed as weakened and severely weakened, with an average degree of degradation, the occurrence of Polygraphus proximus is high. The flight of beetles in 2022 began in the second decade of May, its peak was recorded in the period from May 26 to June 20. The main population indicators of the invasive bark beetle were determined: population density, productivity, reproduction energy, length of the uterine passage and fecundity. Its wintering stages of development have been established in the conditions of the southern Baikal region in 2021.