Native or Invasive? The Red-Haired Pine Bark Beetle Hylurgus ligniperda (Fabricius) (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in East Asia

Wei Lin,Andris Simon Ernstsons,Jun-Jun Li,Ying-Chao Ji,Jiri Hulcr,Sangwook Park,Zi-Ru Jiang,You Li

doi:10.3390/f12070950

Abstract

The red-haired pine bark beetle, Hylurgus ligniperda (Fabricius), is one of the most rapidly spreading invasive forest insects. Originally from Eurasia, it has subsequently been introduced to Oceania, North, and South America. Yet, the status of H. ligniperda in East Asia is ambiguous. Here, investigation and analysis were conducted on the beetle in China, South Korea, and Japan. New occurrences in China and South Korea were recorded by field surveys and the expansion of H. ligniperda spreading in East Asia was analyzed. The results show that H. ligniperda is likely an invasive species in East Asia, initially invading Japan, then South Korea. Now it has invaded and successfully colonized Shandong province, China. Furthermore, the species has spread rapidly and it is now widely distributed in South Korea and Japan.

Highlights

The red-haired pine bark beetle, Hylurgus ligniperda (Fabricius), is a well-known forest insect that colonizes the phloem of pine species [1,2]
After H. ligniperda was first found in Shandong, two wood borer pest surveys that focused on damage of pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus were processed in Yantai and Weihai
Investigation and analysis showed that the previous record of the occurrence of H. ligniperda in China was likely misplaced; new observations suggest it has recently invaded and successfully colonized parts of Shandong Province, China

Summary

Introduction

The red-haired pine bark beetle, Hylurgus ligniperda (Fabricius), is a well-known forest insect that colonizes the phloem of pine species [1,2]. It can attack stumps, freshly cut logs, and stored timber [1]. Part of the damage is mechanical and direct through brood galleries and feeding tunnels formed under the bark. In New Zealand, the main damage by H. ligniperda in plantation forests is from wood-staining and decay fungal associations that enter with the adults into the brood galleries, and as a quarantine pest that may necessitate treatment of export logs and timber, which greatly increases the cost of exports [5]

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion