Studies on the Supercooling Point of Ericerus pela at Different Instars and Overwintering Female Adults of Different Geographic Populations

The supercooling points (SCP) of Ericerus pela in different instars and geographic populations were determined. The results showed that true pupa stage of males of Kunming population had the lowest SCP (median: -15.81 ℃), which followed by a normal distribution. The overwintering stage of females had the lowest SCP (median: -20.41 ℃), which followed by a normal distribution. Analysis of SCP for different geographic populations of E. pela showed that, the overwintering individuals collected from Changchun in March had the lowest SCP (median: -23.19 ℃), but did not followed by a normal distribution. The results implied that the improvement of cold tolerance in E. pela through reducing SCP may enable this species to establish populations in severe cold area.