1,721,003 research outputs found
Improved biosecurity surveillance of non-native forest insects: a review of current methods
No full textAlways towards East: the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), reached also Europe!
No full textAcquisition of fungi from the environment modifies ambrosia beetle mycobiome during invasion
Full text linkMicrobial symbionts can play critical roles when their host attempts to colonize a new habitat. The lack of symbiont adaptation can in fact hinder the invasion process of their host. This scenario could change if the exotic species are able to acquire microorganisms from the invaded environment. Understanding the ecological factors that influence the take-up of new microorganisms is thus essential to clarify the mechanisms behind biological invasions. In this study, we tested whether different forest habitats influence the structure of the fungal communities associated with ambrosia beetles. We collected individuals of the most widespread exotic (Xylosandrus germanus) and native (Xyleborinus saxesenii) ambrosia beetle species in Europe in several old-growth and restored forests. We characterized the fungal communities associated with both species via metabarcoding. We showed that forest habitat shaped the community of fungi associated with both species, but the effect was stronger for the exotic X. germanus. Our results support the hypothesis that the direct contact with the mycobiome of the invaded environment might lead an exotic species to acquire native fungi. This process is likely favored by the occurrence of a bottleneck effect at the mycobiome level and/or the disruption of the mechanisms sustaining co-evolved insect-fungi symbiosis. Our study contributes to the understanding of the factors affecting insect-microbes interactions, helping to clarify the mechanisms behind biological invasions
Life history and geographical distribution of the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), in southern Europe
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Two newly introduced tropical bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) damaging figs (Ficus carica) in southern Italy
No full textAnisandrus maiche Kurentzov (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), an Asian species recently introduced and now widely established in Northern Italy
Full text linkThe present contribution reports the current distribution of the Asian scolytine beetle Anisandrus maiche Kurentzov (Curculionidae: Scolytinae, Xyleborini) in Italy. Previously, in the entire European Union, this species was known only from a single specimen collected in the Treviso province of Northeast Italy in 2021. The data presented here considerably increase the distributional range of A. maiche in Italy, and clearly show that this ambrosia beetle species is established and widespread in at least two northern Italian regions, namely Lombardy and Veneto
Habitat and climatic preferences drive invasions of non-native ambrosia beetles in deciduous temperate forests
No full textMonitoring of the pine sawyer beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis by pheromone traps
Full text linkThe pine sawyer beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis
(Olivier) (Coleoptera Cerambycidae)
gained importance as a pest in Europe after the introduction
in Portugal of the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus
xylophilus, the agent of pine wilt
disease. As the nematode is transmitted by the adult
beetles during both maturation feeding and oviposition,
effective methods of monitoring of the longhorn
beetle populations are needed for the surveillance of
the disease spread in Europe. Although in the last
years many studies focused on the efficacy of different
trapping methods, the general results are still controversial.
In this study, we compared the efficiency of
two trap types, cross-vane and multi-funnel, and two
attractive blends, a kairomonal lure (α-pinene, ipsenol
and methyl-butenol) and a commercial kit specific for
M. galloprovincialis (pheromone plus kairomonal
lure), in order to identify the trap/blend combination
more appropriate for the surveillance of the M.
galloprovincialis populations. Moreover, the trap efficiency
was tested also in a pine stand colonized by M.
galloprovincialis after a hailstorm and in a control
stand. The results showed that the multi-funnel traps
baited with the specific commercial kit was the most
effective combination. Interestingly, trap catch was
similar in the two pine stands, despite a different
density of the target species. As the trapping method
was effective also at low population density of M.
galloprovincialis, it may be adopted as a general tool
for beetle surveillance in the forest and at ports of
entry
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