Risk zoning of Gynaephora alpherakii (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Gynaephora alpherakii (Grum-Grschimailo) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) is a major pest in alpine meadow areas in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and causes severe losses in the local livestock production industry. Assessing areas at high risk for G. alpherakii infestation is critical for the effective management of this pest.

Can ecological niche models be used to accurately predict the distribution of invasive insects? A case study of in China.

In recent decades, ecological niche models (ENMs) have been widely used to predict suitable habitats for species. However, for invasive organisms, the prediction accuracy is unclear. In this study, we employed the most widely used maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model and ensemble model (EM) Biomod2 and verified the practical effectiveness of the ENM in predicting the distribution areas of invasive insects based on the true occurrence of in China.