Title: Genetic tracking of worldwide invasive routes of the populations of Hylurgus ligniperda and Hylurgus micklitzi.

Supervisors: Géraldine ROUX (INRA-URZF, Orléans), Marie-Anne AUGER-ROZENBERG (INRA-URZF, Orléans), Alain ROQUES (INRA-URZF, Orléans).

Hylurgus ligniperda , is a xylophagous pest native to the Mediterranean coast of southern Europe and northern Africa, and has now invaded all continents, include a newly-reported area --Yantai, China(2021). The other one, Hylurgus micklitzi, is similar to Hylurgus ligniperda in host, life story and origin but it has not yet invaded many continents now.

This thesis aims to track deciphering the worldwide invasive pathway of H. ligniperda and H. micklitzi’s populations by ecological approaches (monitoring their temporal and spatial dynamics), genetic (via the use of molecular markers) and distribution area modeling (determining which areas are favorable to each species).