Hypothenemus eruditus

(Westwood, 1834)

Hypothenemus eruditus is a small in the Scolytinae, first described by Westwood in 1834. It has been recorded from North America, temperate Asia, Europe, and the Azores, with confirmed in Hawaiʻi. The has been described as the most abundant bark beetle in the world, though it is rarely encountered by casual observers due to its minute size and cryptic habits. In Hawaiʻi, it has been collected from Delonix regia pods and macadamia husks.

Hypothenemus eruditus (10.3897-zookeys.710.15047) Figures 3–4 by Tuncer C, Knizek M, Hulcr J (2017) Scolytinae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) in hazelnut orchards of Turkey: clarification of species and identification key. ZooKeys 710: 65-76. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.710.15047. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Scolytinae (10.3897-zookeys.710.15047) Figures 5–7 by Tuncer C, Knizek M, Hulcr J (2017) Scolytinae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) in hazelnut orchards of Turkey: clarification of species and identification key. ZooKeys 710: 65-76. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.710.15047. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Hypothenemus eruditus: /hʌɪ.poʊ.ˈθiː.nɪ.məs ɛ.ˈruː.dɪ.təs/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Habitat

Associated with material including Delonix regia pods and macadamia husks; observed in field environments on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Use of 'phloem sandwich' style observation chambers suggests association with phloem tissue.

Distribution

North America, temperate Asia, Europe, and the Azores (Faial, Pico, São Jorge, São Miguel, Santa Maria). Confirmed present in Hawaiʻi (Oʻahu: UH Mānoa campus, Waimānalo).

Behavior

Has been observed exhibiting defensive action against attack by clamping down on the intruding between the pro- and , though this was documented only once and its generality is uncertain.

Ecological Role

for including Prorops maya, Prorops umiehu, and Plastanoxus sp.; these are the only known wasps that parasitize the stage of their hosts and the only known ectoparasitoids of adult scolytine .

Human Relevance

The epithet 'eruditus' inspired the name of the mobile application 'Eruditus,' a identification training tool developed by the University of Florida and USDA-ARS.

More Details

Etymological note

The specific epithet 'eruditus' (Latin: learned, erudite) was selected by Dr. James Skelton as the namesake for the identification app 'Eruditus,' which trains users in gestalt-based identification of scolytine .

Taxonomic authority discrepancy

Sources vary between Westwood 1834 and Westwood 1836 for the original description date.