Hylastes ater

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Hylastes ater
Hylastes ater female lateral.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae
Genus: Hylastes
Species:
H. ater
Binomial name
Hylastes ater
Paykull, 1800
Synonyms

Bostrichus ater
Hylastes angusticollis
Hylastes pinicola
Hylesinus chloropus
Ipsocossonus anomalus
Tomicus pinicola

Contents

Hylastes ater is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae, the true weevils. It is a bark beetle, a member of the subfamily Scolytinae. Its common name is the black pine bark beetle. It is native to Europe and parts of Asia, including China and Korea. It is known as an introduced species in many other regions, including Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, and South Africa. It is a pest of pines and other trees, and it is widespread in areas where pine trees are cultivated. The species "is an important threat to the biosecurity of all forested countries." [1]

Description

This beetle is cylindrical in shape and 3.5 to 5.5 millimeters long by about 1.4 millimeters wide. It is dark gray or shiny black with reddish antennae and legs. The newly hatched beetle is entirely reddish, and its color darkens over time. The elytra, the front of the face, and most of the prothorax are punctate. The head is bent downward, so just a small part is visible from above. The rostrum is short, not elongated into a typical weevil snout. The whitish egg is less than one millimeter long, and the larva is c-shaped, legless, and white with an amber-colored head capsule. The pupa is "mummy-like", [1] yellowish-white, and spiny. [2]

Biology

This bark beetle feeds on the developing bark on and around the root crowns of tree seedlings, [1] especially the phloem. [3] It also infests stumps, logs, and fallen trees. It prefers pines, and is a widespread pest of wild and cultivated Monterey pines (Pinus radiata) in particular. [1] Other recorded host trees include silver fir (Abies alba), colonial pine (Araucaria cunninghamii), Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), common larch (Larix decidua), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). [2]

The beetle reproduces in the inner bark layer of the tree. The female bores an egg gallery up to 13 centimeters in length along the surface of the wood, often parallel to the grain. The male clears the debris from the chamber. After mating, the female lays up to 100 eggs in the gallery, each in its own nook. The larvae usually develop over 8 to 10 weeks, but sometimes take well over a year to reach maturity, depending on temperature. As they grow, the egg gallery is obliterated and they develop together in a common chamber. Pupation lasts up to two weeks. [1]

The adult beetle flies well and it can disperse to new areas in the search for appropriate tree hosts. [1] It is attracted to volatiles released by the trees, such as β-pinene, a component of turpentine. [4] During some parts of the year it may face competition from the red-haired bark beetle (Hylurgus ligniperda), which also reproduces in Monterey pines. [3]

As a pest

This beetle weakens and kills tree seedlings with its feeding and boring behaviors. It removes sections of bark from the base of the seedling, sometimes killing it. Surviving trees have resin-bleeding lesions and brittle needles and become wilted and discolored. [5] Damage to the trees is increased when the beetle acts as a vector for sapstain fungi, introducing them into the wounds. [3] These pigmented fungi discolor wood, producing cosmetic damage that makes it less marketable. [6] This beetle can act as a vector for numerous species of sapstaining fungi in the genus Ophiostoma . [7]

A well-studied infestation is occurring in Monterey pine plantations in New Zealand. The beetle was first recorded there in 1929, becoming a minor pest of exotic pines, but recently the severity of its impacts on local pine forestry has become more clear. It is ubiquitous in pine plantings. As mature trees are continually harvested for wood, the many stumps left behind are infested by the beetle, which then spreads to the seedlings. [3] While the beetle has been known to cause high levels of mortality in crops of seedlings in Chile and Australia, [8] it does not kill many trees in New Zealand. It more often causes a reduction in wood value by damaging the tree tissue and introducing fungi. [3]

Biological pest control efforts using parasitic and predatory insects have been unsuccessful. [3] Early detection of the pest is a priority. [1] Once an infestation is recognized, some methods of chemical control are used. Shipments of logs are fumigated with phosphine, which is a very effective alternative for the ozone-depleting compound methyl bromide. [9] Traps baited with turpentine may also be an option. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pinus radiata</i> Species of conifer

Pinus radiata, the Monterey pine, insignis pine or radiata pine, is a species of pine native to the Central Coast of California and Mexico. It is an evergreen conifer in the family Pinaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bark beetle</span> Subfamily of beetles

A bark beetle is the common name for the subfamily of beetles Scolytinae. Previously, this was considered a distinct family (Scolytidae), but is now understood to be a specialized clade of the "true weevil" family (Curculionidae). Although the term "bark beetle" refers to the fact that many species feed in the inner bark (phloem) layer of trees, the subfamily also has many species with other lifestyles, including some that bore into wood, feed in fruit and seeds, or tunnel into herbaceous plants. Well-known species are members of the type genus Scolytus, namely the European elm bark beetle S. multistriatus and the large elm bark beetle S. scolytus, which like the American elm bark beetle Hylurgopinus rufipes, transmit Dutch elm disease fungi (Ophiostoma). The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis, and their near relatives are major pests of conifer forests in North America. A similarly aggressive species in Europe is the spruce ips Ips typographus. A tiny bark beetle, the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei is a major pest on coffee plantations around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mycangium</span> Body structures adapted for the transport of symbiotic fungi

The term mycangium is used in biology for special structures on the body of an animal that are adapted for the transport of symbiotic fungi. This is seen in many xylophagous insects, which apparently derive much of their nutrition from the digestion of various fungi that are growing amidst the wood fibers. In some cases, as in ambrosia beetles, the fungi are the sole food, and the excavations in the wood are simply to make a suitable microenvironment for the fungus to grow. In other cases, wood tissue is the main food, and fungi weaken the defense response from the host plant.

<i>Cryphalus</i> Genus of beetles

Cryphalus is a large genus of tiny bark beetles, subfamily Scolytinae, tribe Cryphalini in the family Curculionidae. The genus is widely distributed. The species feed and breed under the inner bark of trees. They infest mainly recently dead, dying or stressed trees. Some species are regarded as invasive pests, harmful to agriculture or forestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilding conifer</span> Invasive trees in New Zealand

Wilding conifers, also known as wilding pines, are invasive trees in the high country of New Zealand. Millions of dollars are spent on controlling their spread.

<i>Tomicus piniperda</i> Species of beetle

Tomicus piniperda, the common pine shoot beetle, is a bark beetle native throughout Europe, northwestern Africa, and northern Asia. It is one of the most destructive shoot-feeding species in northern Europe.

<i>Dendroctonus rufipennis</i> Species of beetle

Dendroctonus rufipennis, the spruce beetle, is a species of bark beetle native to British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Northern Manitoba, the Yukon, Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Maine. They are known to destroy forests of spruce trees including Engelmann, White, Sitka, and Colorado blue spruce. Adults average 4 to 7 mm in length.

<i>Fusarium circinatum</i> Species of fungus

Fusarium circinatum is a fungal plant pathogen that causes the serious disease pitch canker on pine trees and Douglas firs. The most common hosts of the pathogen include slash pine, loblolly pine, Monterey pine, Mexican weeping pine, and Douglas fir. Like other Fusarium species in the phylum Ascomycota, it is the asexual reproductive state of the fungus and has a teleomorph, Gibberella circinata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European spruce bark beetle</span> Species of beetle

The European spruce bark beetle, is a species of beetle in the weevil subfamily Scolytinae, the bark beetles, and is found from Europe to Asia Minor and some parts of Africa.

<i>Dendroctonus frontalis</i> Species of beetle

Dendroctonus frontalis, the southern pine beetle, often shortened to simply SPB, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of the southern United States, Mexico and Central America. It has recently expanded its range to the northeastern United States, where it is considered an invasive species and has destroyed massive amounts of pine forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sirex woodwasp</span> Species of sawfly

The sirex woodwasp is a species of horntail, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Adults vary in length from 9 to 36 mm.

<i>Ips</i> (beetle) Genus of beetles

Ips is a genus of beetles in the family Curculionidae, the true weevils. They are bark beetles, members of the subfamily Scolytinae. Species are distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Some are known as introduced species in Australia and Africa. Many species are pests of forest trees, especially pines and spruces. They are known commonly as engraver beetles, ips engraver beetles, and pine engravers.

<i>Dendroctonus valens</i> Species of beetle

Dendroctonus valens, also known as the red turpentine beetle, is a species of bark beetle characterized by a dark-reddish brown hue. It is native to forests across North and Central America. In its adult form, these beetles range from six to ten millimeters in length. A notable characteristic about them is their use of acoustic signals and chemical cues when engaging in what is a very complex mating process.

<i>Dendroctonus brevicomis</i> Species of beetle

Dendroctonus brevicomis, the western pine beetle, is a species of crenulate bark beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is found in North America and parts of Mexico. It is known as a destructive pest of ponderosa and Coulter pine trees. When drought makes these pines more susceptible to infestations by D. brevicomis, there is an increased risk of forest fires due to dead trees.

<i>Pissodes nemorensis</i> Species of beetle

Pissodes nemorensis, known generally as the eastern pine weevil or deodar weevil, is a species of true weevil in the beetle family Curculionidae. It is found in North America and Africa. Deodar weevils are considered a forest pest in the United States, with adults and larvae feeding on a variety of coniferous tree species, including trees such as deodar cedar, loblolly pine, longleaf pine, sand pine, shortleaf pine, slash pine, and spruce pine Trees of all ages are susceptible to weevil infestations, while trees that are severely stressed by fire, drought, extreme cold, fusiform rust, wind damage, and other problems are prone to weevil infestation. In well-managed pine stands, deodar weevil infestations are sporadic, attacking only the suppressed and unhealthy trees throughout the area. Because they do not typically effect healthy trees, they do not usually alter traditional management strategies. Unlike many other forest pests in the eastern United States, deodar weevils are most active in the winter months, and this is often when sign of infestations can be seen. The best way to avoid a deodar weevil infestation is to maintain good tree and stand health: healthy trees do not typically face mortality or extensive damage from these pests. If an infestation has occurred, pesticides can be used in the fall as the weevils become active, but are typically not recommended.

<i>Dendroctonus adjunctus</i> Species of beetle

Dendroctonus adjunctus, the roundheaded pine beetle, is a species of bark beetle in the family Curculionidae found in North America. A parasite, the roundheaded pine beetle feeds on and eventually kills pine trees of several species in Guatemala, Mexico, and the Southern United States.

<i>Xylosandrus germanus</i> Species of beetle

Xylosandrus germanus, known generally as the alnus ambrosia beetle or black stem borer, is a species of ambrosia beetle in the family Curculionidae. X. germanus poses challenges in woody ornamental species and orchard crops such as apples and pecan. Furthermore, X. germanus is recognized or suspected to act as a vector for plant pathogens to varying extents, potentially leading to the decline of trees. The black stem borer is native to eastern Asia, but is an invasive species in Europe and North America. This species carries and feeds on associated ambrosia fungus, Ambrosiella grosmanniae.

<i>Cryphalus dilutus</i> Species of beetle

Cryphalus dilutus, the spurred bark beetle, is a tropical and subtropical bark beetle which attacks fig and mango trees causing dieback. It belongs to the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae.

<i>Cryphalus mangiferae</i> Species of beetle

Cryphalus mangiferae, the mango bark beetle, is a tiny tropical bark beetle which attacks mango trees. The species belongs to the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae. It is often cited as a vector of plant pathogenic fungi infecting mango trees and in some countries like Pakistan it is regarded as a serious threat to mango cultivation.

<i>Cryphalus piceae</i> Species of beetle

Cryphalus piceae, the small fir bark beetle, is a tiny bark beetle, about 1.7 mm long that is found in central and southern Europe. It infests mainly fir (Abies) and spruce trees (Picea) and occasionally can cause damage to branches and young trees, including tree death.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hylastes ater. Global Invasive Species Database. ISSG.
  2. 1 2 Hylastes ater. Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine Technical Fact Sheet. Plantwise. CABI.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Reay, S. D., et al. (2012). Hylastes ater (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) affecting Pinus radiata seedling establishment in New Zealand. Psyche vol. 2012, Article ID 590619, 9 pages.
  4. 1 2 Reay, S. D. and P. J. Walsh. (2002). Relative attractiveness of some volatiles to the introduced pine bark beetles, Hylastes ater and Hylurgus ligniperda (Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Archived 2013-11-11 at the Wayback Machine New Zealand Entomologist 25(1), 51–56.
  5. Hylastes ater (black pine bark beetle) Fact Sheet. Archived 2013-11-11 at the Wayback Machine Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Government of Canada. 2012.
  6. Thwaites, J. M., et al. (2005). Survey of potential sapstain fungi on Pinus radiata in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 43(3), 653–63.
  7. Reay, S. D., et al. (2005). A survey of Ophiostoma species vectored by Hylastes ater to pine seedlings in New Zealand. Forest Pathology 35(2), 105–13.
  8. Reay, S. D., et al. (2001). The role of the bark beetle, Hylastes ater (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), as a sapstain fungi vector to Pinus radiata seedlings: A crisis for the New Zealand forestry industry? Integrated Pest Management Reviews 6(3-4), 283–91.
  9. Zhang, Z., et al. (2004). Phosphine as a fumigant to control Hylastes ater and Arhopalus ferus, pests of export logs. New Zealand Plant Protection 57, 257–59.