<i>Hylobius</i> species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Siberia and the distribution patterns of adults feeding in Scots pine stands
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33338/ef.84045Abstract
Seven Hylobius species are known from Siberia, while the occurrence of three of them is doubtful. Information available about the supplementary feeding of adult weevils is reviewed. It is likely that H. abietis and H. albosparsus are the only species of economic significance in this territory. In the northern forest-steppe zone, adult weevils usually prefer to feed separately on isolated or border young trees under the canopy of light Scots pine stands, but avoid the undercanopy regeneration in the dense stands. In the southern taiga zone, adults are abundant on cutover areas where they feed in clumps of young regeneration. In fresh clearcuts, up to 100% of juvenile trees may be damaged by the feeding of weevils, whereas the damage intensity declines sharply with the distance to the clearcut. An edge effect in the distribution of adult weevils needs verification and, probably, is time-dependent. Inside the stands, the crowns of mature trees may constitute an additional food niche for adults if the usual sources and preferred environmental conditions are not available.
