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Abstract The Siberian moth, Dendrolimus sibiricus Tschetverikov 1908, is a dangerous pest of the conifer family Pinaceae that inhabits the Asian part of Russia, northern Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and the Korean Peninsula. Its range is gradually expanding both westwards and northwards: the species is currently recorded at 46°–47° E over the Eastern European Plain, around 60° N in Krasnoyarsk krai, and at 63° N in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). A number of studies have been devoted to predicting further dispersal of D. sibiricus, but the assessment of the invasion potential of this pest is hampered, among other things, by insufficient information on the requirements of the overwintering stage (caterpillars) on the winter conditions. We evaluated the main features of pest biology, determined the cold resistance of its caterpillars, and revealed the temperature conditions in the wintering places at the northeastern limit of its distribution in Central Yakutia. The mean supercooling point of caterpillars was –18.5 ± 0.4°C, being significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) between individuals of younger (II–III and III–IV) and older (IV–IV) instars: –20.0 ± 0.6 and ‒18.8 ± 0.8°C, compared to –16.7 ± 0.8°C, respectively. A prolonged (two days) stay at –15.5°C leads to death of 53% individuals, 63% mortality at –17.5°C, and already 91% mortality at –20°C. Comparing caterpillars cold resistance and the temperatures in hibernation horizons in one of the coldest regions within the natural range of the pest shows the suitability of large areas of Yakutia for survival of D. sibiricus, especially currently due to climate warming.
Булахова et al. (Mon,) studied this question.