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 faunal composition, host relationships and biological information of the subfamily Cassidinae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) remain poorly known in many Chinese regions. Based on the seven-year field survey, faunal composition and host associations of Cassidinae beetles were systematically compiled for Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. In particular, through direct field observations, detailed biological information, such as life history and behavioural features and host plants were first recorded for 56 species of Cassidinae beetles. We have tripled the number of Cassidinae species in Qiannan. Sixty-nine species of Cassidinae beetles belonging to 17 genera and eight tribes were identified, of which 38 species are newly recorded in Guizhou and 56 are newly recorded in Qiannan. The tribes Leptispini and Notosacanthini were newly recorded in Guizhou. The genera Thlaspidosoma Spaeth, Downesia Baly, Klitispa Uhmann, Platypria Guérin-Méneville, Leptispa Baly and Notosacantha Chevrolat were recorded in Guizhou for the first time. A total of 61 species, 37 genera and 17 families of host plants were collected. Lardizabalaceae and Araliaceae were new host plant families for Cassidinae worldwide. Quantitative food web analysis indicated that Cassidinae species in Qiannan mainly feed on Poaceae, Rosaceae, Convolvulaceae and Lamiaceae. Callispini and Leptispini only feed on monocots, Aspidimorphini, Basiprionotini, Cassidini and Notosacanthini only feed on dicots, while Hispini feed on both monocots and dicots. The feeding patterns and corresponding damage marks of Cassidinae were quite diverse. In addition, the pupal mine-making behaviour of Dactylispa excisa (Kraatz, 1879), D. similis Chen et T’an, 1985 and D. uhmanni Gressitt, 1950 are worth further study. Although preliminary, our field survey is an essential step in understanding Cassidinae behaviour and Cassidinae-plant interactions.

A catalog is presented of species of the subfamily Cassidinae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) deposited in the Insect Collection of the College of Agriculture, Yangtze University in Jingzhou, Hubei, China. A complete list of all specimens for each species is provided, together with the label data. A total of 1,207 adult specimens of Cassidinae were examined, representing 53 species, 13 genera, and six tribes. Fourteen species are recorded in Hubei Province for the first time: Aspidomorpha (s. str.) transparipennis (Motschulsky, 1860), Basiprionota gressitti Medvedev, 1957, Callispa dimidiatipennis Baly, 1858, Cassida australica (Boheman, 1855), C. expansa Gressitt, 1952, C. juglans Gressitt, 1942, C. pallidicollis Boheman, 1856, C. postarcuata (Chen & Zia, 1964), C. quinaria (Chen & Zia, 1964), C. rati Maulik, 1923, C. sigillata (Gorham, 1885), Glyphocassis (Hebdomecosta) spilota (Gorham, 1885), Hispellinus chinensis Gressitt, 1950, and H. moerens (Baly, 1874). Five species are newly recorded from Chongqing: Aspidomorpha (s. str.) difformis (Motschulsky, 1860), Cassida sauteri (Spaeth, 1913), C. vespertina Boheman, 1862, Gly. (Hebdomecosta) spilota (Gorham, 1885), and Dactylispa chinensis Weise, 1905. Furthermore, Callispa almora Maulik, 1923 is new to Zhejiang Province, Platypria aliena Chen & Sun, 1962 is new to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Cassida rubiginosa Müller, 1776 is new to Sichuan Province.

Body size is a key trait influencing life history and ecological adaptation, and sexual size dimorphism (SSD) reflects divergent selective pressures acting on males and females. In morphologically conserved insect groups such as Cassidinae leaf beetles, the external similarity between sexes often impedes accurate dimorphism assessment. To address this, we conducted a systematic morphometric study of ten Cassidinae species from the Nanling Mountains—the largest east–west mountain system in southern China—where we definitively assigned sex via genital dissection. We measured body weight, body length, body width, length–width ratio, and corresponding wing traits. Across all species, SSD was consistently female biased, with statistically significant but subtle differences in most traits; body weight exhibited the greatest relative disparity. While this pattern aligns with the fecundity advantage hypothesis, direct fecundity data were not collected. Crucially, interspecific allometric analyses revealed that the scaling of male and female body sizes was statistically indistinguishable from that of isometry, providing no significant support for Rensch’s rule in this female-biased system. Our findings offer foundational insights into SSD evolution in cryptically dimorphic, herbivorous beetles and highlight the need for phylogenetically informed studies across broader geographic and taxonomic scales.

Taxonomic notes on the genus Dolophrades Bates, 1884 are presented. D. tianmushanensis Yang, Xie & W. Wang sp. nov. from Tianmushan National Nature Reserve, Zhejiang Province, China, is described and illustrated. D. punctatus (Pic, 1934), stat. restit., and D. subdenudatus Gressitt, 1938, stat. restit., are reinstated as separate valid species. The taxon originally described as Cereopsius decoloratus var. annulicornis Schwarzer, 1925, subsequently treated as D. annulicornis (Schwarzer, 1925), is restored to subspecific rank as Peblephaeus decoloratus annulicornis (Schwarzer, 1925), stat. restit. Six species of the genus are recognized in this treatment. A key to the known species of the genus and a distribution map are provided.