Biology

X crass pupae

The biology of Xylosandrus ambrosia beetles is really different from bark beetles. Both have fungal associate but ambrosia beetles garden the fungi as food and don't consume the wood of the host tree for nourishment. Beetles captured in traps are females as males are rarely observed outside of the host tree. Females upon emergence are already mated and looking for a tree to attack and lay eggs. In the summer there is about a 55 -60 d period between generations.

General Biology

The following papers are provided as references for more information on the biology of the Xylosandrus ambrosia beetles that attack nursery and landscape trees.

  • Ngoan, N.D., R.C. Wilkinson, D.E. Short, C.S. Moses, and J.R. Mangold. 1976. Biology of an introduced ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus compactus,in Florida. Annals oEntomol. Soc. America 69(5): 872–876.
  • Ranger, C.M., M.E. Reding, A.B. Persad, and D.A. Herms. 2009. Ability of stress-related volatiles to attract and induce attacks by Xylosandrus germanus and other ambrosia beetles. Agricultural and Forestry Entomology DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-9563.2009.00469.x
  • Hoffmann, C.H. 1941. Biological observations on Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford). J. Econ. Entomol. 34(1): 38–42.
  • Hulcr, J., M. Mogia, B. Isua, and V. Novotny. 2007. Host specificity of ambrosia and bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) in a New Guinea rainforest. Ecol. Entomol. 32: 762–772.

Species and Phyllogeny

  • Xylosandrus compactus
    • Ngoan, N.D., R.C. Wilkinson, D.E. Short, C.S. Moses, and J.R. Mangold. 1976. Biology of an introduced ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus compactus, in Florida. Annals Entomol. Soc. America 69(5): 872–876.
  • Xylosandrus mutilatus
    • Xylosandrus mutilatus (Blandford), and exotic ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae:Scolytinae:Xyleborini) new to North America. Coleopterists Bull. 58(3): 431–438.
    • Six, D.L., W.D. Stone, Z.W. de Beer, and S.W. Woolfolk. 2009. Ambrosiella beaveri, sp. nov., associated with an exotic ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus mutilatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), in Mississippi, USA. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 96:17–29.
    • Stone, W.D., T.E. Nebeker, and W.A. Monroe. 2005. Ultrastructure of the mesonotal mycangium of Xylosandrus mutilatus (Blandford), an exotic ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) by light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. Microsc Microanal 11(Suppl 2):172–173.
    • Stone, W.D., T.E. Nebeker, W.A. Monroe, and J.A. MacGown. 2007. Ultrastructure of the mesonotal mycangium of Xylosandrus mutilatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Can. J. Zool. 85:232–238.
    • Stone, W.D., T.E. Nebeker, and P.D. Gerard. 2007. Host plants of Xylosandrus mutilatus in Mississippi. Fla. Entomol. 90(1):191–195.
  • Xylosandrus crassiusculus
    • Hoffmann, C.H. 1941. Biological observations on Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford). J. Econ. Entomol. 34(1): 38–42.
    • Weber, B. C. and J.E. McPherson. 1983. Life history of the ambrosia beetle Xylosandrus germanus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 76: 455-462.
  • Xylosandrus germanus
    • Mizell, R. F., S. Braman, B. Sparks, and W. Hudson. 1994. Outbreak of the Asian ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky), is cause for concern. Proc. South. Nurs. Assoc. Res. Conf. 39: 191–193.
    • Mizell, R. F. and T. C. Riddle. 2004. Evaluation of insecticides to control the Asian ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus. Proc. South. Nurs. Assoc. Res. Conf. 49: 152–155.
    • Buchanan, W.D. 1941. Experiments with an ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus germanus(Blandford). J. Econ. Entomol. 34(3): 367–369.
  • Xyloborinus saxeseni
  • Monarthrum fasciatum
  • Hypothenemus spp
    • da Silva, F. C., M.U. Ventura, and L. Morales. 2006. Capture of Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari (Coleoptera, Scolytidae) in response to trap characteristics. Sci. Agric. (Piracicaba, Braz.), 63(6):567–571.
    • Dufour, B.P. and B. Frérot. 2008. Optimization of coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari (Col., Scolytidae), mass trapping with an attractant mixture. J. Appl. Entomol. 132:591–600.

Phyllogeny

This is the study of relatedness of species. Phyllogenetics uses a tree to put genera or species on the same branch that share common characteristics.

  • Cognato, A.I., J, Hulcr, S.A. Dole, and B.H. Jordal. 2011. Phylogeny of haplo–diploid, fungus-growing ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini) inferred from molecular and morphological data. Zoologica Scripta 40(2): 174-186. (doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2010.00466.x)
  • Hulcr, J., S.A. Dole, R.A. Beaver, and A.I. Cognato. 2007. Cladistic review of generic taxonomic characters in Xyleborina (Coleoptera: Curculionidae:Scolytinae). System. Entomol. 32:568–584.

Fungal Associates

Ambrosia beetles have various fungi (Dute et al., Kajimura and Hijii 1992) on associated with a specialized region called the mycagium located on the dorsal surface of the adults. These Ambrosia fungi are primarily food for the brood and beetles. However, other plant pathogenic fungi are also reported from the mycangium.

  • Kajimura, H. and N. Hijii. 1992.  Dynamics of the fungal symbionts in the gallery system and the mycangium of the ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus mutilatus (Blandford) (Coleoptera:Scolytidae) in relation to its life history. Ecological Research 7:107–117.
  • Batra L.R. 1966. Ambrosia fungi: extent of specificity to ambrosia beetles. Science. 153:193–95.
  • Dute, R. R., M. E. Miller, M. A. Davis, F. M. Woods, K. S. McLean. 2002. Effects of ambrosia beetle attack on Cercis canadensis. IAWA J. 23: 143–160.
  • Kessler, K.J. Jr. 1974. An apparent symbiosis between Fusarium fungi and ambrosia beetles causes canker on black walnut stems. Plant Dis. Rep 1044–1047.58.
  • Ott, E. P. 2007. Chemical ecology, fungal interactions and forest stand correlations of the exotic Asian ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Curculionidae). MS Thesis, LSU, 89 pp.
  • Kinuura, H. 1995. Symbiotic fungi associate with ambrosia beetles. Jarq 29:57–63.
  • Six, D.L., W.D. Stone, Z.W. de Beer, and S.W. Woolfolk. 2009. Ambrosiella beaveri, sp. nov., Associated with an exotic ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus mutilatus (Coleoptera:Curculionidae, Scolytinae), in Mississippi, USA. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 96:17–29.

Geographic Distribution

Each species has a distinct area where they are more common. For example, Xylosandrus crassiusculus is the most common ambrosia beetle attacking trees in southern nurseries, but X. germanus is more common in nurseries in Ohio.

  • Oliver, J. B., and C. M. Mannion. 2001. Ambrosia beetles collected from ethanol-baited traps and Chinese chestnut in middle Tennessee. Proc. South. Nurs. Assoc. Res. Conf. 49: 214–218.
  • Oliver, J. B., and C. M. Mannion. 2001. Ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), species attacking chestnut and captured in ethanol-baited traps in middle Tennessee. Environ. Entomol. 30:909-918.
  • Hulcr, J., M. Mogia, B. Isua, and V. Novotny. 2007. Host specificity of ambrosia and bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) in a New Guinea rainforest. Ecol. Entomol. 32: 762–772.
  • Kirkendall, L.R. and F. Ødegaard. 2007. Ongoing invasions of old-growth tropical forests: establishment of three incestuous beetle species in southern Central America (Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Zootaxa 1588:53–62.
  • Hulcr, J., R.A. Beaver, W. Puranasakul, S.A. Dole, and S. Sonthichai. 2008. A comparison of bark and ambrosia beetle communities in two forest types in northern Thailand (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae). Environ. Entomol. 37(6): 1461–1470.

Last Updated: February 24, 2012

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