A review of the distribution and host plant associations of the platypodine ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae) of Australia, with an electronic species identification key

Abstract

Ambrosia beetles (Platypodinae and some Scolytinae) are ecologically and economically important weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) that develop within the sapwood and heartwood of woody plants, and their larval and adult stages are dependent on fungal symbionts. Platypodinae mostly occur in tropical and subtropical biomes, with a few species occurring in temperate regions. Australia has 44 recorded platypodine species including 13 species which may only have been intercepted at or near ports of entries and are without established populations in Australia. The host tree associations and biogeography of Australian Platypodinae are largely undocumented, and no comprehensive identification key exists. Here, we review species records, host tree associations, biogeographic distributions, and morphological characteristics of Australian Platypodinae. For this, we examined collection specimens, monographs, catalogues, taxonomic inventories, journal articles and online databases, and developed an electronic LUCID identification key for 36 species recorded in Australia. This review and identification key will be a valuable resource for forestry managers and biosecurity officers and will support diagnostics and future research of these beetles, their biology, and ecological interactions.