V. OMELYUTA, N. FILATOVA
Institute of Plant Protection of UAAS; Vasylkivska str., 33, 03022, K?iv, Ukraine

The analysis of date on geographic - coordinate, zoogeographic and agroclimatic characteristics of Ukraine and the range of the western corn rootworm (WCR), which is a native species in America and an invading species in Europe gives the grounds to suppose that WCR is able to inhabit all the territory of Ukraine. Nevertheless, because intensity of growing of the corn and the usage of repeated corn fields in a shift of crop system are different in various agroclimatic zones , it is advisable to propose the following three regions as to occurrence and damage of WCR in this country.

1. The region of mass occurrence and high damage that spreads on the most part of the
area of Ukraine - the Steppe zone, southern part of the Forest-Steppe zone.
2. The region of common occurrence and sporadic damage on repeated fields of the corn in
the central and western parts of the Forest-Steppe zone where the area occupied by the corn composes 10-20% of the arable area.
3. The region of possible occurrence which spreads over the north part of the Forest-Steppe
and Forest zones, where the corn occupies less than 10% of the arable area, and repeated usage the corn in a shift of crop system is not practiced.

The first beetles (three imagoes on three fields) were found out by the authors by means of pheromone traps in August of 2001 in Vynogradovo District of Transcarpathia Regions. Moreover, in the same time in a field, it was recorded two clearings  every with an area up to ten square meters with symptoms characteristic for damage by larvae of WCR, namely: lodging. This fact allows to suppose that primary penetration of the beetles has occurred in previous year - 2000, whereas the presence of WCR has been recorded in the second year as it is known in Yugoslavia.
It is quite probably that in 2002-2005 WCR will spread actively over the lowland  part of Transcarpatha Region bearing damage to the corn, which is used in repeated fields in a shift of crop system. The mountain part of Transcarpathia Region where the corn is nearly out of growing will serve as a reliable obstacle for spreading of WCR. The practice of spreading of other quarantine pest species (Hyphantria cunea Drury, Grapholitha molesta Busck.) confirms this supposition.

An appearing of WCR in the rest of Ukrainian territory should be forecasted for the Districts of Odessa Region close to Donau River from Romania when this species would seize the Donau lowland. It is possible an appearing of WCR in other places in Ukraine in a result of passive transferring of it by aviation and military techniques arrived from dislocation of Ukrainian peace-keeping forces in Yugoslavia. A possibility of such a transportation is confirmed by arising of infestation spots of WCR in Italy and Switzerland.