The predaceous beetle family Cleridae includes a large and widely distributed rapid radiation, which is vital for the ecosystem. Despite its important role, a number of problems remain to be solved regarding the phylogenetic inter-relationships, the timing of divergence, and the mitochondrial biology. Mitochondrial genomes have been widely used to reconstruct phylogenies of various insect groups, but never introduced to Cleridae until now. Here, we generated 18 mitochondrial genomes to address these issues, which are all novel to the family. In addition to phylogenomic analysis, we have leveraged our new sources to study the mitochondrial biology in terms of nucleotide composition, codon usage and substitutional rate, to understand how these vital cellular components may have contributed to the divergence of the Cleridae. Our results recovered Korynetinae sister to the remaining clerids, and the calde of Clerinae+Hydnocerinae is indicated more related to Tillinae. A time-calibrated phylogeny estimated the earliest divergence time of Cleridae was soon after the origin of the family, not later than 160.18 Mya (95% HPD: 158.18–162.07 Mya) during the mid-Jurassic. This is the first mitochondrial genome-based phylogenetic study of the Cleridae that covers nearly all subfamily members, which provides an alternative evidence for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships.

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is a pest that interferes with the health of forests and hinders the development of the forestry industry, and its spread is influenced by changes in abiotic factors and human activities. The potential distribution areas of B. xylophilus in China under four shared-economic pathways were predicted using the optimized MaxEnt model (version 3.4.3), combining data from a variety of environmental variables: (1) prediction of natural environmental variables predicted under current climate models; (2) prediction of natural environmental variables + human activities under current climate models; and (3) prediction of natural environmental variables under the future climate models (2050s and 2070s). Meanwhile, whether the niche of B. xylophilus has changed over time is analyzed. The results showed that human activities, precipitation in the driest month, annual precipitation, and elevation had significant effects on the distribution of B. xylophilus. In the current conditions, human activities greatly reduced the survival area of B. xylophilus, and its suitable distribution area was mainly concentrated in the southwestern and central regions of China. Under the influence of climate change in the future, the habitat of B. xylophilus will gradually spread to the northeast. In addition, the ecological niche overlap analysis showed that B. xylophilus in future climate was greater than 0.74. This study provides important information for understanding the ecological adaptation and potential risk of B. xylophilus, which can help guide the decision making of pest control and forest protection.

Climate change impacts the distribution of pests and its natural enemies, prompting this study to investigate the dynamics and shifts in distribution under current and future climate conditions. The spatial pattern of Psacothea hilaris (Pascoe) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in China was analyzed, and the MaxEnt model was optimized to predict the potential geographic distribution of P. hilaris and its two natural enemies (Dastarcus helophoroides (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) and Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus) (Piciformes: Picidae)) in China, to further analyze the key environmental factors affecting the survival of P. hilaris and its natural enemies, and to determine the potential of using D. helophoroides and D. major as natural enemies to control P. hilaris. The results showed that the suitable ranges of P. hilaris and natural enemies are expanding under the influence of climate change, and both have migrated to higher latitudes. The potential ranges of D. helophoroides, D. major, and P. hilaris are highly similar. It is noteworthy that the potential range of D. helophoroides completely covers the potential range of P. hilaris. This indicates that D. helophoroides and D. major can be employed as biological control agents to manage P. hilaris populations. This study provides a theoretical framework and empirical evidence for the development of early warning and green control strategies for P. hilaris.

Effective use of species distribution models can assess the risk of spreading forest pests. In this study, based on 434 occurrence records and eight environmental variables, an ensemble model was applied to identify key environmental factors affecting the distribution of Apriona rugicollis Chevrolat, 1852 and predict its potential habitat and its relative areas of change under current and future climatic conditions. The results indicate that humidity, solar radiation, topography, and human activities were the main factors influencing the distribution of A. rugicollis. Under the current climate scenario, suitable habitats are mainly concentrated in East Asia, including North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Vietnam, and China. Under future climate scenarios, the area of suitable habitat for A. rugicollis gradually increases, especially in China and Japan, which are at high risk of spreading. In addition, the suitable habitat of A. rugicollis will expand northeastward to higher latitudes. The results of this study provide an important scientific basis for policymakers to formulate strategies for monitoring and controlling A. rugicollis in response to climate change.

The Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) is a phytophagous pest that is seriously endangering Salix babylonica Linn. and S. matsudana Koidz. Poor control can damage local ecosystems, resulting in economic losses and management risks. In the context of climate change, the climatic ecological niche of organisms is no longer compatible with the surrounding environment. To mitigate the effects of climate change, some organisms respond adaptively to climate change through different mechanisms and in different ways. In this study, an optimized MaxEnt model was used to explore the potential distribution areas of A. glabripennis and its host plants, S. babylonica and S. matsudana, in response to current and future climate and to determine their movement routes and relative dynamics. The results show that the optimized model exhibits the lowest complexity and excellent prediction accuracy. It is important to note that both temperature and precipitation are the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats for A. glabripennis and its host plants. This is evidenced by the mean temperature of the warmest quarter and precipitation of the wettest month being the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of suitable habitats for the host plants. Similarly, the minimum temperature of the coldest month and precipitation seasonality are the primary bioclimatic variables constraining the dispersal of A. glabripennis. Under climate change, the suitable areas of both S. babylonica and S. matsudana are declining, while the suitable areas of A. glabripennis are expanding in future climates. Furthermore, three species exhibited a proclivity for migration to higher latitudes in response to climate change. In conclusion, this study contributes to our understanding of the biogeographic characteristics of these A. glabripennis, S. babylonica, and S. matsudana and provides a basis for the formulation of timely conservation strategies to reduce the potential impacts of climate change. This is of great significance for the rational management, utilization, and protection of forest ecosystems in China.

Holotrichia parallela (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) is a notorious pest of many crops, especially peanuts. In this study, volatiles from peanut plants were analyzed using both gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) techniques, and tested for adult attraction with field trapping bioassays in Hebei Province, China. GC-EAD analyses indicated that H. parallela antennae strongly responded to twelve GC peaks, including eight identified compounds, (Z)-β-ocimene, hexanal, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, nonanal, dihydromyrcenol, linalool, β-caryophyllene, methyl salicylate, and four unidentified compounds. When tested individually in field conditions from 24 to 31 July, 2020, β-caryophyllene and hexanal significantly attracted both sexes of H. parallela, whereas all other compounds were unattractive. A blend of β-caryophyllene and hexanal at a ratio of 2:1, close to the natural ratio of these two compounds from the intact peanut plant, was most attractive to the beetles. The remaining identified compounds, (Z)-β-ocimene, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, nonanal, dihydromyrcenol, linalool, and methyl salicylate had no synergistic effects on H. parallela attraction when tested in combination with the blend of β-caryophyllene and hexanal. These results demonstrated that β-caryophyllene and hexanal in the volatiles from peanut plants have strong attraction to H. parallela. These two compounds have the potential to be used for monitoring H. parallela and its management programs.