| Xyleborinus exiguus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Family: | Curculionidae |
| Genus: | Xyleborinus |
| Species: | X. exiguus |
| Binomial name | |
| Xyleborinus exiguus (Walker, 1859) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Xyleborinus exiguus, is a species of weevil widely distributed throughout the Old World tropics and introduced to African and South American countries. [1] [2]
It is native to India, Andaman Islands, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mariana Islands, New Guinea, Niue Island, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti. It is also introduced to West African countries such as Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Zaire as well as in Central American countries: Costa Rica, and Panamá. [3]
This small, elongate-cylindrical beetle is about 1.8 to 2.0 mm long. This weevil can be identified by the declivital face with interstriae 2 which is unarmed by tubercles. Elytral apex is attenuate, with three pairs of large flattened tubercles. The declivital interstriae is flat, and the interstriae 2 is not impressed. [3] [4]
A polyphagous species, it is found from many host plants. [1] [5]
The Curculionidae are a family of weevils, commonly called snout beetles or true weevils. They are one of the largest animal families with 6,800 genera and 83,000 species described worldwide. They are the sister group to the family Brentidae.
Ambrosia beetles are beetles of the weevil subfamilies Scolytinae and Platypodinae, which live in nutritional symbiosis with ambrosia fungi. The beetles excavate tunnels in dead or stressed trees in which they cultivate fungal gardens, their sole source of nutrition. After landing on a suitable tree, an ambrosia beetle excavates a tunnel in which it releases its fungal symbiont. The fungus penetrates the plant's xylem tissue, extracts nutrients from it, and concentrates the nutrients on and near the surface of the beetle gallery. Ambrosia fungi are typically poor wood degraders, and instead utilize less demanding nutrients. Symbiotic fungi produce and detoxify ethanol, which is an attractant for ambrosia beetles and likely prevents growth of antagonistic pathogens and selects for other beneficial symbionts. The majority of ambrosia beetles colonize xylem of recently dead trees, but some attack stressed trees that are still alive, and a few species attack healthy trees. Species differ in their preference for different parts of trees, different stages of deterioration, and in the shape of their tunnels ("galleries"). However, the majority of ambrosia beetles are not specialized to any taxonomic group of hosts, unlike most phytophagous organisms including the closely related bark beetles. One species of ambrosia beetle, Austroplatypus incompertus exhibits eusociality, one of the few organisms outside of Hymenoptera and Isoptera to do so.
Xyleborini are a tribe of ambrosia beetles, highly specialized weevils of the subfamily Scolytinae. Much of the ambrosia beetle fauna in Eurasia and the Americas consists of Xyleborini species. Some Xyleborini are notorious invasive species.
Euwallacea fornicatus is a species complex consisting of multiple cryptic species of ambrosia beetles, known as an invasive species in California, Israel and South Africa. The species has also been unintentionally introduced into exotic greenhouses in several European countries. As the rest of the ambrosia beetles, E. fornicatus larvae and adults feed on a symbiotic fungus carried in a specific structure called mycangium. In E. fornicatus, the mycangium is located in the mandible. The combination of massive numbers of beetles with the symbiotic fungus kills trees, even though the fungus alone is a weak pathogen.
Euplatypus parallelus, previously known as Platypus parallelus, is a species of ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae. The adults and larvae form galleries in various species of tree and logs. It is native to Central and South America but has spread globally, is present in Africa and is well established in tropical Asia.
Cnestus mutilatus, commonly known as the camphor shot borer, camphor shoot borer, or sweetgum ambrosia beetle, is a species of ambrosia beetle in the subfamily Scolytinae of the weevil family Curculionidae. It is native to Asia, but has been established as an invasive species in the United States since 1999.
Ambrosiodmus asperatus, commonly known as ambrosia beetle, is a species of weevil found in China, India, Nepal, Indonesia: Java, Sumatra, Japan: Ryukyu Islands, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Brunei. The species also introduced to Australia.
Euwallacea piceus, is a species of weevil native to Oriental Asia but introduced to African and other Westerns Pacific parts of the world. It is a serious pest in tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas.
Sueus niisimai is a species of weevil found in India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also found in Australia and Fiji, presumably introduced.
Xyleborinus andrewesi, is a species of weevil widely distributed throughout the Old World tropics and introduced to many New World countries.
Xylosandrus discolor, is a species of weevil found in Australia, Micronesia, Myanmar, China, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.
Xylosandrus mancus, is a species of weevil found in Afrotropical and Oriental regions.
Xylosandrus morigerus, is a species of weevil widespread throughout Afrotropical, Australian, Neotropical, Oceania and Oriental regions. It is also introduced to Palearctic regional countries.
Xylosandrus pygmaeus, is a species of weevil found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
Cnestus gravidus is a species of weevil found in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and China.
Euwallacea perbrevis, commonly known as tea shot-hole borer, is a species of weevil native to South and South-East Asia through to Australia, but introduced to Western countries.
Arixyleborus mediosectus, is a species of weevil found in India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia: Sumatra and Vietnam.
Arixyleborus rugosipes, is a species of weevil native to India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Borneo, Vietnam, Indonesia, and in Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand as an exotic species.
Diuncus haberkorni, is a species of weevil found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Java, Japan, Malaysia, New Guinea, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is also imported to African countried such as South Africa, and Tanzania.
Euwallacea similis, is a species of weevil native in the Oriental region through to Australia but shows a cosmopolitan distribution due to introduction to many parts of the world.