Fungi associated with the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus in an endemic area in Norway

Abstract

To investigate the fungal flora associated with the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus in an endemic area, beetles were collected during the flight period in six locations in Tr⊘ndelag, Norway. The beetles were inoculated into fresh Norway spruce logs, and the frequency of different species was monitored by fungal isolation from bark and wood. The most common species were Ophiostoma bicolor, O. penicillatum, O. polonicum and a previously undescribed Graphium species, the same species which were the most important associates of I. Typographus in an epidemic area in southeastern Norway. The frequency of the primary invader, O. polonicum, was, however, lower in Tr⊘ndelag, which may indicate that this species is less frequent in endemic areas than in epidemic areas.