Dinoderus minutus | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Family: | Bostrichidae |
Genus: | Dinoderus |
Species: | D. minutus |
Binomial name | |
Dinoderus minutus (Fabricius, 1775) | |
Dinoderus minutus, the Bamboo borer, is a species of wood-boring beetle. [1] In tropical regions (and perhaps others), it is one of the main pests of bamboo, attracted by the internal starch. [2] It is native to Asia but has spread widely with the trade of infested bamboo wood and bamboo products. [3]
The bamboo borer lays very small (0.84 mm in length) elongated oval eggs. [4] These eggs are milky white, almost transparent. Eggs are laid in dirt tunnels foraged by adult beetles.
The larvae form is three to four millimeters long. [4] They show a C-shaped body with a round head. The thorax is slightly expanded and bears three legs. [3] Bamboo borer larvae show oval/round spiracles on their thorax and abdomen. Larvae also have dense hair covering their tibia. The larval period lasts approximately 61 days. [4]
Following the larvae stage, bamboo borers enter the pupae form. The pupa is spindle shaped and 2.5 to 4 millimeters long. [3] The pupa is milky-white with black compound eyes and mandible. They also carry a pair of finger-like appendages attached to the end of the sternum. [3]
The adult borer shape is elongated and columnar. Adult species range from 2.5 to 3.5 mm long and 1 to 1.5 mm wide. [3] They are reddish or dark brown with dense hair coverage, especially on the elytra (wing cover). [4] The elytra are densely covered with small punctures and bristles. An important feature of the borer is that the head is dorsally covered by the prothorax. [3] This means that the head cannot be perceived from a top view of the insect. Dinoderus minutus shows black round compound eyes. The antennas are segmented in approximately 10 segments and are lamellated. [5] The legs show the same color as the body. The tarsus (feet) is made of five segments. [5] The first and last segments are equal in length but the first is no longer than the third or fourth segments. [5]
The bamboo borer originates from Asia, most commonly from China. It is currently established as a native species in many Chinese cities including Beijing, Fujian, Guangdong, Sichuan, and Hong Kong among many. [6] It is also recognized as a native species in some nations surrounding China. The bamboo borer is considered native in India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, and Sri Lanka. [3] The bamboo borer is one of the main pests affecting bamboo plants in tropical regions.
The bamboo borer was introduced in countries outside of China and Asia. The bamboo borer was introduced in Israel according to a study dating from 1999. [7] The coleoptera arrived in Czechia in 1965. The borer was first reported in Germany back in 1927. [8] Dinoderus minutus made its way in Italy in 1995 and in Norway in 1980 (Fig 1.).
Country | Year of Introduction | Report |
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Israel | prior to 1999 | Gerstmeier et al., 1999 |
Czechia | 1965 | Seebens et al., 2017 |
Italy | 1995 | Seebens et al., 2017 |
Norway | 1990 | Seebens et al., 2017 |
Sweden | 1957 (first reported) | Seebens et al., 2017 |
Germany | 1927 (first reported) | Seebens et al., 2017 |
Cuba | prior to 1986 | Wu et al., 1986 |
California (U.S.) | 1960's | Woodruff, 1967 |
Florida (U.S.) | 1960's | Woodruff, 1967 |
Australia | 1915 | Seebens et al., 2017 |
Brazil | prior to 1986 | Wu et al., 1986 |
Chile | prior to 1986 | Wu et al., 1986 |
Figure 1: List of introduction sites and years for the bamboo borer [9] [7] [8] [10]
Currently, Dinoderus minutus can be found on most continents. It is found in Africa in countries such as Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. [9] It is commonly found in Asia, notably China, where it is considered native. The bamboo borer is also considered native in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Malaysia. [6] The bamboo borer is also found in south-east Asia. The borer can still be found in many parts of Europe including Czechia, Germany, Italy, Norway, and Sweden. Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States constitute the North American range of the bamboo borer. [3] Florida and California are where borers are most commonly found in the U.S. It has been deemed invasive in Florida already. [10] The borer was introduced in Oceania in the early to mid-1900’s. [8] Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands all carry bamboo borer populations. [8] The insect is also found in South America in Brazil, Chile, and Columbia. [9]
D. minutus is a post-harvest pest that feeds on bamboo and bamboo-based products. The borer can easily be transported across the globe through the trade of domestic and imported bamboo products. Furniture and other items made of bamboo are the principal cause for the spread of the insect. [11] The above ground structures (shoot, trunk, branches) and wood of the bamboo tree are the only parts that borers will attach to. [3] The insect is uninterested in the bark, flowers, leaves, roots, and seeds of the bamboo. [3] Clothing, footwear, personal possessions, and land vehicles have also been identified as pathway vectors for the spread of Dinoderus minutus. [3]
Bamboo borers can have between 3 and 5 generations per year (CABI, 2019). Adult borers are charged to dig 15 to 20 mm tunnels in bamboo wood for females to lay their eggs (approximately 20 at a time). [12] Oviposition is most commonly observed in May and June for this species. [13] Oviposition can last up to four months and leads to degradation of bamboo wood. [13] Overwintering is not distinct amongst the species, but cold temperature reduces their activity. Soluble carbohydrates are essential to D. minutus’ diet. The varying richness of nutrient in bamboo species make certain trees such as Bambusa textilis, Bambusa pervariabilis, Phyllostachys heterocycle, and Phyllostachys heteroclada more desirable than Pleioblastus amarus and Pseudosasa amabilis for example. [5] D. minutus has a strong ability for starvation tolerance. [3] The adults have a strong ability for pesticide resistance and have no phototactic reaction toward light. [3]
The bamboo borer has few natural reported predators. However, the Teretrius nigrescens [14] and Denops albofasciata [7] are known to predate on the eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults (mostly the eggs). [3]
As a coleoptera, the borer is a prominent decomposer of organic matter. They reduce the population of insects through feeding and niche competition.
Dinoderus minutus’ main factor for establishment is the presence of bamboo trees. The borer feeds on bamboo and lays its eggs in bamboo. The insect is resilient to starvation and pesticides which makes it an efficient invader. [3] Additionally, the bamboo borer can withstand relatively cold temperatures and doesn’t perform overwintering. [3] The invasiveness efficiency of the borer resides in its ability to thrive in various environments and climates.
Borers have been reported to be the most damaging pest in the Asian bamboo industry. Dinoderus minutus’ ability to feed on felled culm and finished products results in direct loss of raw material and processed products. Although the extent of losses attributed to borers have not been assessed, a large stack of bamboo in a storage yard can lose 40% of its volume due to borer activity in 8 to 20 months. [15] The advantages of beetles reside in their ability to decompose organic matter. Notably, the bamboo borer will return carbon from dead bamboo wood back to the soil for other organisms to use. It is only when bamboo is meant for commercial purposes that its decomposition becomes an issue.
A variety of control measures have been identified to prevent bamboo borer infestations. These measures comprise phytosanitary methods, biological control, physical methods, and chemical control. Determining the better methods for pest control depends on factors such as severity of infestation, location, potential of reinfestation, and cost.
Phytosanitary methods mostly relate to international trade and transport as bamboo borers have the potential to cause important damage to plants when introduced in a new environment. All imported wood and wood products are inspected in open ports. If borer infestation symptoms are detected, pest control such as fumigation and heating often represent safe alternatives. [16]
Biological control is another way to keep borer populations in check. Notably, Clerid beetles prey on borers in boring tunnels. [9] These predators feed on the bamboo borers eggs, larvae, pupae, and sometimes adults. However, even if natural enemies of the borer have the potential to cause high mortality rates in borer population, natural enemies cannot be relied upon as an effective control method. [3]
Physical control relates to bamboo wood treatment post felling. One of the methods simply involves soaking the wood in water which suffocates the beetles, but it takes a long time and it risks blackening the culms. [17] Other methods include flame heating, exposure to sunlight, microwaving, and advanced infrared technology. [3]
Chemical treatments involving pesticides and preservatives have been widely used to control pest post-harvest. Different compounds have shown positive control. The 5% copper-chrome-arsenic composition, 5-6% copper-potassium dichromate-borax solution (CCB), and 2-3% borax all represent efficient options for post-harvest pest control. [18]
Although there is little information on the overall status of the borer as an invader, it is still considered harmful in a variety of environments including agricultural land, orchards, forests, grasslands, urban areas, riverbanks, wetlands, tundra, deserts, and coastal areas. [3]
The Asian long-horned beetle, also known as the starry sky, sky beetle, or ALB, is native to the Korean Peninsula, northern and southern China, and disputably in northern Japan. This species has now been accidentally introduced into the eastern United States, where it was first discovered in 1996, as well as Canada, and several countries in Europe, including Austria, France, Germany, Italy and UK.
Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera that are commonly referred to as skin beetles. Other common names include larder beetle, hide or leather beetles, carpet beetles, and khapra beetles. There are over 1,800 species described.
The emerald ash borer, also known by the acronym EAB, is a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia that feeds on ash species. Females lay eggs in bark crevices on ash trees, and larvae feed underneath the bark of ash trees to emerge as adults in one to two years. In its native range, it is typically found at low densities and does not cause significant damage to trees native to the area. Outside its native range, it is an invasive species and is highly destructive to ash trees native to Europe and North America. Before it was found in North America, very little was known about emerald ash borer in its native range; this has resulted in much of the research on its biology being focused in North America. Local governments in North America are attempting to control it by monitoring its spread, diversifying tree species, and through the use of insecticides and biological control.
The drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle, biscuit beetle, and misnamed as the biscuit weevil, is a tiny, brown beetle. It can be found infesting a wide variety of dried plant products, where it is among the most common non-weevils to be found. It is the only living member of the genus Stegobium. It belongs to the family Ptinidae, which also includes the deathwatch beetle and furniture beetle. A notable characteristic of this species is the symbiotic relationship the beetles have with the yeast they carry, which are transmitted from female to larvae through the oviduct.
Powderpost beetles are a group of seventy species of woodboring beetles classified in the insect subfamily Lyctinae. These beetles, along with spider beetles, death watch beetles, common furniture beetles, skin beetles, and others, make up the superfamily Bostrichoidea. While most woodborers have a large prothorax, powderpost beetles do not, making their heads more visible. In addition to this, their antennae have two-jointed clubs. They are considered pests and attack deciduous trees, over time reducing the wood to a powdery dust. The damage caused by longhorn beetles is often confused with that of powderpost beetles, but the two groups are unrelated. The larvae of the Cerambycidae are white, straight and generally flat-headed, whereas those of the Bostrichidae are white and C-shaped.
Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences.
Lasioderma serricorne, more commonly referred to as the cigarette beetle, cigar beetle, or tobacco beetle, is a small beetle that shares a remarkable resemblance with the drugstore beetle and the common furniture beetle. The cigarette beetle, along with the drugstore and furniture beetles, all belong to the Ptinidae beetle family. The cigarette beetle can be distinguished from A. punctatum by its flatter thorax, whereas the A. punctatum boasts a humped thorax. The cigarette beetle can be further differentiated from S. paniceum with its uniformly serrated antennae composed of 11 segments, unlike the three-segmented antennae of S. paniceum. Additionally, L. serricorne has more shallow grooves in its elytra, or hardened wing covers, compared to the A. punctatum and S. paniceum’s deep grooving.
The wharf borer, Nacerdes melanura, belongs to the insect order Coleoptera, the beetles. They belong to the family Oedemeridae, known as false blister beetles. Wharf borers are present in all the states of the USA except for Florida. It takes about a year to develop from an egg to an adult. The name 'wharf borer' comes from the larval stage of this insect, which often lingers on pilings and timbers of wharves, especially along coastal areas. The adult beetles are identifiable via a black band across the end of both elytra. In addition, wharf borers are distinct from other members of the family Oedemeridae due to the presence of a single spur on the tibia of the forelegs and the distance between both eyes. The female beetle oviposits eggs on rotten wood, on which the larvae hatch, burrow, then feed. Adults do not eat and depend on stored energy reserves accumulated as a larva. They are considered a pest because they damage wood used in building infrastructures.
Home-stored product entomology is the study of insects that infest foodstuffs stored in the home. It deals with the prevention, detection and eradication of pests.
Rhyzopertha is a monotypic genus of beetles in the family Bostrichidae, the false powderpost beetles. The sole species, Rhyzopertha dominica, is known commonly as the lesser grain borer, American wheat weevil, Australian wheat weevil, and stored grain borer. It is a beetle commonly found within store bought products and pest of stored cereal grains located worldwide. It is also a major pest of peanuts. The first documentation of wheat infestation by R. dominica was observed in Australia. R. dominica are usually reddish brown to dark brown in coloration, vary in sizes, elongated and cylindrical.
Xylopsocus gibbicollis, common name "common auger beetle", is a species of beetle of the family Bostrichidae.
Lyctus carbonarius is a wood-boring beetle in the family Bostrichidae, commonly known as the southern lyctus beetle or lyctid powderpost beetle. It is a serious pest of hardwoods including ash, hickory, oak, maple and mahogany and can infest many products in the home including hardwood flooring and structural timbers, plywood, furniture, tool handles, picture frames, baskets and ladders. Timber can be infested in one location and then be transported large distances by ship, after which the beetles can emerge and spread the infestation to new areas.
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Xylosandrus compactus is a species of ambrosia beetle. Common names for this beetle include black twig borer, black coffee borer, black coffee twig borer and tea stem borer. The adult beetle is dark brown or black and inconspicuous; it bores into a twig of a host plant and lays its eggs, and the larvae create further tunnels through the plant tissues. These beetles are agricultural pests that damage the shoots of such crops as coffee, tea, cocoa and avocado.
Dinoderus is a genus of bamboo powderpost beetles in the family Bostrichidae. There are more than 20 described species in Dinoderus.
Oemona hirta, the lemon tree borer, also known as the whistling beetle or the singing beetle, is a longhorn beetle endemic to New Zealand. Its larvae are generalist feeders, boring into the wood of a wide variety of trees, native and introduced. When citrus orchards were first established in New Zealand, this beetle started inflicting serious damage, and so gained the name "lemon tree borer". Four species within the genus Oemona have been identified, suggesting that more species could be found. When disturbed by predators or humans, the adult beetle stridulates creating a "rasp" or "squeak" sound by rubbing its thorax and head together against an area of thin ridges. Māori would eat a liquid called "pia manuka", which was produced by manuka trees when its wood was damaged by the larvae. When Captain Cook first arrived in NZ, his naturalists, Banks and Solander, collected a lemon tree borer in their first collection between 1769 and 1771. This oldest collected specimen can be found in the British Museum. A few years after the first collection, the species would be first described by the Danish naturalist Fabricius in 1775.
Cosmopolites sordidus, commonly known as the banana root borer, banana borer, or banana weevil, is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is a pest of banana cultivation and has a cosmopolitan distribution, being found in all parts of the world in which bananas are grown. It is considered the most serious insect pest of bananas.
Arrenodes minutus, commonly known as the oak timberworm, is a species of primitive weevil in the family Brentidae. These beetles are pests of hardwoods in North America. Adult oak timberworms are shiny, elongate, and range 7 to 25 mm in length. They are reddish-brown to brownish-black in coloration, with yellow spots on their elytra. Adults display strong sexual dimorphism; females have long, slender, straight mouthparts, while males possess flattened, broadened mouthparts with large mandibles. Males are known to be aggressive and use these large mandibles for combat. These mandibles are also used in courtship. Larvae are elongate, cylindrical, white, and curved. They have 3 pairs of jointed legs on the thorax and 1 pair of prolegs near the end of the abdomen.
Estigmena chinensis, commonly known as Green standing bamboo borer, is a species of leaf beetle found in India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. It is a major pest of bamboo.