The infestation and habitat of the ambrosia beetle Euwallacea interjectus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in the riparian zone of Shanghai, China
Wang, Z., Li, Y., Ernstsons, A. S., Sun, R., Hulcr, J., & Gao, L. (2021). The infestation and habitat of the ambrosia beetle Euwallacea interjectus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in the riparian zone of Shanghai, China. Agricultural and Forest Entomology, 23(1), 104-109.
- Extensive boring damage into trunks of living poplar trees in the urban forest of Shanghai, eastern China, was investigated in 2017.
- In order to determine the taxonomic identity of the pest, we used morphological identification and sequenced mitochondrial COI gene. Based on both morphology and molecular data, it was concluded that the pest boring into the poplars was the ambrosia beetle Euwallacea interjectus (Blandford).
- Its occurrence and damage on poplar across Shanghai were also investigated. In the Pudong District, a total of 104.52 ha of urban forest were investigated thoroughly, and 16.22% of surveyed forests were found to be infested. This insect species is an important native pest capable of causing damage across the Shanghai area.
- Observations in the field suggested that the damage may be related to distance to water sources. Our statistical analysis confirmed this hypothesis, as the close distance to water bodies correlated with higher levels of damage. We conclude that E. interjectus prefers host trees stressed by an occasional excessive abundance of water, and acts as a parasite on living trees without killing them.
