Ambrosia-beetle
Guides
Ambrosiodmus
Ambrosiodmus is a genus of ambrosia beetles (Scolytinae) in the family Curculionidae, comprising at least 100 described species. These beetles are distinguished by their obligate mutualism with the white-rot decay fungus Flavodon subulatus (formerly Flavodon ambrosius), a unique symbiosis among ambrosia beetles. Unlike most ambrosia fungi that merely extract nutrients from recently dead wood, Flavodon is a true wood degrader capable of decomposing cellulose and lignin. This superior fungal mutualist enables Ambrosiodmus species to establish large, semi-social colonies with thousands of individuals and to colonize and decay wood over multiple generations. Several species, including A. minor and A. rubricollis, have become invasive outside their native ranges.
Ambrosiodmus hagedorni
Ambrosiodmus hagedorni is an ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, described by Wood & Bright in 1992. Like other members of its genus, it farms the white-rot decay fungus Flavodon ambrosius, a unique symbiont capable of true wood decomposition. This mutualism enables the beetle to colonize and persist in decaying wood over multiple generations, supporting larger colony sizes than typical ambrosia beetles. The species is known from Brazil and represents part of a distinctive beetle-fungus symbiosis that differs fundamentally from other ambrosia systems.
Ambrosiodmus minor
Punky Wood Ambrosia Beetle
Ambrosiodmus minor is an invasive ambrosia beetle in the southeastern United States, including Florida. It cultivates a unique ambrosia fungus, Flavodon subulatus, which causes rapid wood rot in dead trees. The beetle is considered of low economic importance as evident major impacts have not been observed, though wood decay from this association is increasing across its introduced range. Native to Asia, it has established populations in North America and has been recorded from mainland China with documented host associations on multiple tree genera.
Ambrosiodmus obliquus
Ambrosiodmus obliquus is a species of ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, first described by Blackman in 1928. Like other members of the genus Ambrosiodmus, this beetle engages in a specialized symbiotic relationship with wood-decaying fungi, specifically species in the genus Flavodon. The beetle farms these fungi in galleries excavated within wood, where the fungus serves as the primary food source for both adults and larvae. This species has been documented across multiple continents including North America, the Caribbean, Middle America, Africa, and South America.
Ambrosiodmus rubricollis
Ambrosiodmus rubricollis is an ambrosia beetle native to eastern and southern Asia that has been introduced to Europe and North America. As a member of the genus Ambrosiodmus, it maintains a mutualistic symbiosis with the white-rot fungus Flavodon ambrosius, which is capable of true wood decomposition—an unusual trait among ambrosia beetles. The species has been documented attacking young Tasmanian blue gum trees (Eucalyptus globulus) in Portugal and has been detected in Slovenia and Italy. Its introduction to non-native regions raises concern given the potential of Ambrosiodmus species to vector pathogenic fungi.
Ambrosiodmus tachygraphus
Ambrosiodmus tachygraphus is a North American ambrosia beetle described by Hopkins in 1915. Like other members of the genus Ambrosiodmus, it engages in obligate mutualism with fungal symbionts, specifically the wood-decaying fungus Flavodon ambrosius. This partnership enables the beetle to colonize and reproduce in dead or dying wood by farming fungi that digest cellulose and lignin, converting wood into nutritious food for beetle larvae and adults. The species is part of a group known for forming semi-social colonies with thousands of individuals, facilitated by their unique ability to cultivate a true wood-degrading fungus rather than merely extracting readily available nutrients from freshly dead tissues.
Ambrosiophilus atratus
Black Bark Weevil
Ambrosiophilus atratus is a non-native ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae. First recorded in Europe in Slovenia in 2017 during monitoring surveys for invasive ambrosia beetles. The species is distinguished by pronounced asperities covering the entire pronotum surface. Native to North America and Southern Asia, it has established populations in Europe through human-mediated introduction.
Anisandrus
Anisandrus is a genus of ambrosia beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae, tribe Xyleborini, comprising approximately 40-41 species distributed primarily across Asia, with some species introduced to Europe and North America. The genus is characterized by a mycangial tuft at the pronotal base used for transporting symbiotic fungi. Several species, including A. maiche and A. dispar, are recognized as economically significant pests of fruit orchards, ornamental trees, and forest ecosystems.
Anisandrus dispar
European Shothole Borer
Anisandrus dispar is an ambrosia beetle in the family Curculionidae, commonly known as the European Shothole Borer. It is an economically significant pest in fruit orchards, particularly apple cultivation. The species exhibits a distinct seasonal flight pattern, with females conducting most flight activity from February through May. It maintains an obligate symbiotic relationship with the fungus Ambrosiella hartigii, which it cultivates in gallery systems within host wood.
Anisandrus maiche
Anisandrus maiche is an invasive ambrosia beetle native to East Asia that has established populations in North America and Europe. It is a significant pest of stressed trees in orchards, forests, and ornamental settings, boring into wood and cultivating symbiotic fungi in galleries. The species has been recorded in the United States since 2005, in Italy and Switzerland since 2021-2022, and was previously detected in Ukraine and European Russia. Its spread is facilitated by international transport of wood products and an inbreeding mating system that allows single females to establish new populations.
Anisandrus obesus
Anisandrus obesus is an ambrosia beetle native to eastern North America that specializes in boring into the sapwood of Big Tooth Aspen (Populus grandidentata). Females construct characteristic gallery systems consisting of a single entrance tunnel approximately 7 mm deep followed by two lateral tunnels parallel to the wood surface. The species maintains an obligate symbiosis with ambrosia fungi, which larvae consume without expanding parental galleries. Progeny exhibit strongly female-biased sex ratios (approximately 6:1), with only females emerging in spring to disperse and attack new hosts.
Cnestus
ambrosia beetles
Cnestus is a genus of ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini) established by Sampson in 1911. Species in this genus are characterized by inbreeding reproduction through sib mating, cultivation of symbiotic ambrosia fungi as their sole nutritional source, and haplodiploid sex determination. The genus includes both native Asian species and invasive populations that have established in North America, Europe, and other regions. Cnestus mutilatus (camphor shot borer) is the most widely documented species, first reported in the United States in 1999 and subsequently detected in Europe. The genus exhibits complex evolutionary patterns, with some species containing cryptic sympatric lineages that are morphologically indistinguishable but genetically distinct.
Cnestus mutilatus
camphor shot borer, camphor shoot borer, sweetgum ambrosia beetle
Cnestus mutilatus is a large ambrosia beetle native to Asia that has been established as an invasive species in the United States since 1999. It is the largest ambrosia beetle species in North America, with females reaching 3.4–3.9 mm in length. The species carries a symbiotic fungus (Ambrosiella beaveri) that serves as the primary food source for adults and larvae. It has been documented damaging plastic fuel containers and lines due to attraction to ethanol in gasoline.
Coptoborus
Coptoborus is a genus of ambrosia beetles in the weevil family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, tribe Xyleborini. These tiny beetles bore into trees and cultivate fungus as food, a behavior characteristic of ambrosia beetles. The genus contains more than 70 described species, with many new species discovered in Central and South America in recent years. Some species are economically significant pests, particularly of balsa trees in Ecuador.
Coptoborus pseudotenuis
Coptoborus pseudotenuis is a species of ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, described by Wood & Bright in 1992. As a member of the genus Coptoborus, it is a fungus-farming beetle that bores into wood and cultivates symbiotic fungi for food. The species is part of a diverse group of beetles that play significant roles in forest ecosystems, though some related species can become economic pests. It was described prior to the 2021 revision of the genus by Smith and Cognato that named numerous new species after science fiction heroines.
Corthylus
ambrosia beetles, timber beetles
Corthylus is a genus of ambrosia beetles in the family Curculionidae containing more than 190 described species. Species in this genus are characterized by their symbiotic relationships with fungi, which they cultivate in galleries bored into wood. Several species are significant forest pests, attacking hardwood trees and causing structural damage through gallery construction and associated fungal infections that lead to wood rot and tree mortality. The genus includes economically important species such as the Columbian timber beetle (C. columbianus) and C. zulmae, which impact timber production and reforestation efforts.
Corthylus columbianus
Columbian timber beetle, chestnut timber worm
Corthylus columbianus is a scolytid beetle (Curculionidae) native to North America. It is a pest of living hardwood trees, particularly attacking the heartwood and phloem of species such as maple, oak, beech, hickory, and elm. The beetle has a complex life cycle with delayed adult emergence and exhibits dynamic population distribution patterns within forest stands, forming shifting epicenters of attack density. It is associated with ambrosia fungi that cause wood staining and degrade timber quality.
Corthylus punctatissimus
Pitted Ambrosia Beetle, Maple Corthyle
Corthylus punctatissimus, commonly known as the pitted ambrosia beetle or maple corthyle, is an ambrosia beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is a documented pest of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) in northeastern North America, with established populations in southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The beetle targets small-diameter woody saplings and shrubs, boring into stems at soil level and creating spiral gallery tunnels that cause girdling damage and wilting of host trees.
Cyclorhipidion bodoanum
An invasive ambrosia beetle native to East Asia, now established in North America and Europe. First detected in Europe in 1960 in Alsace, France, with subsequent slow expansion across the continent. Confirmed in the Bohemian Massif of the Czech Republic in 2020, demonstrating continued eastward spread. Frequently introduced to new regions through international trade in wood and wood products.
Cyclorhipidion pelliculosum
Cyclorhipidion pelliculosum is a species of ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, described by Hulcr & Cognato in 2010. Like other members of its genus, it is likely associated with fungal cultivation in wood, though specific biological details remain poorly documented. The species has been recorded from both North America and Southern Asia.
Dryoxylon onoharaense
Dryoxylon onoharaense is a small ambrosia beetle (Scolytinae) in the weevil family Curculionidae. Originally described from Japan, it has been introduced to North America and has established populations in the conterminous United States. Like other members of the tribe Xyleborini, it is presumed to cultivate ambrosia fungi in wood galleries for larval nutrition.
Euplatypus compositus
pinhole borer
Euplatypus compositus is a species of pinhole borer beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is found in the southeastern United States and has been recorded from Brazil (Pará and Rio de Janeiro states). The species is known to be associated with at least four species of Raffaelea fungi, indicating a symbiotic relationship with these fungal associates.
Euplatypus parallelus
Common Ambrosia Beetle
Euplatypus parallelus is a polyphagous ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae. Native to Central and South America, it has spread invasively to Africa, tropical Asia, and other regions, likely via timber trade. Adults bore galleries into tree trunks and cultivate symbiotic fungi for food, causing wood staining and economic damage in forest plantations. The species is attracted to ethanol and plant volatiles, with flight activity strongly influenced by temperature and precipitation.
Euplatypus pini
Euplatypus pini is a small ambrosia beetle (Curculionidae: Platypodinae) originally described as Platypus pini by Hopkins in 1905 and later transferred to Euplatypus by Bright & Skidmore in 2002. Like other ambrosia beetles, it excavates galleries in wood and cultivates symbiotic fungi as a food source for its larvae. The species name indicates an association with pine (Pinus) hosts.
Euwallacea
Ambrosia beetles, Shot hole borers
Euwallacea is a genus of ambrosia beetles within the tribe Xyleborini. All species are obligate symbionts with ambrosia fungi, which they farm in galleries excavated within host trees. The genus has a pantropical distribution with origins in Asia and Wallacea, and several species have become globally significant invasive pests. Members of the Euwallacea fornicatus species complex, including the polyphagous shot hole borer, cause substantial economic damage to fruit and timber trees through mass colonization and associated fungal pathogens.
Euwallacea fornicatus
tea shot-hole borer, polyphagous shot-hole borer, PSHB
Euwallacea fornicatus is an invasive ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) native to Asia that has established populations in North America, Israel, South Africa, Australia, and South America. It is now recognized as part of a cryptic species complex containing at least four distinct species (E. fornicatus, E. fornicatior, E. whitfordiodendrus, and E. kuroshio) that are morphologically indistinguishable but genetically distinct. The species is a significant economic pest of tea, avocado, citrus, and numerous ornamental and native trees, acting as a vector for Fusarium fungi that cause Fusarium dieback disease.
Euwallacea interjectus
ambrosia beetle
Euwallacea interjectus is an ambrosia beetle native to Asia that has become an invasive pest in multiple regions worldwide. The species cultivates mutualistic Fusarium fungi in galleries within tree xylem, which serve as its primary food source. Females possess specialized mycangia for transporting fungal spores. The beetle has emerged as a significant economic threat to poplar plantations in China and has been documented attacking living trees, a behavior atypical for many ambrosia beetles. In Japan, it vectors Ceratocystis ficicola, a pathogenic fungus causing fig wilt disease.
Euwallacea perbrevis
tea shot-hole borer
Euwallacea perbrevis, the tea shot-hole borer, is an invasive ambrosia beetle native to South and Southeast Asia through Australia. It is part of the Euwallacea fornicatus cryptic species complex, distinguished from its three sibling species (E. fornicatus, E. fornicatior, and E. kuroshio) primarily through molecular genetics rather than morphology. The beetle cultivates symbiotic fungi in galleries bored into host trees and vectors fungal pathogens causing Fusarium branch dieback. It has been introduced to the United States (Florida, Hawaii), Costa Rica, and Panama, where it poses significant economic threats to avocado production and urban trees.
Euwallacea similis
ambrosia beetle
Euwallacea similis is a small ambrosia beetle (2.2–2.7 mm) native to South and Southeast Asia and Australia, now globally distributed through human trade in timber and wood commodities. It colonizes stressed, cut, or recently dead host trees rather than healthy living trees, distinguishing it from related invasive species like E. fornicatus. The species exhibits haplodiploid sex determination and inbreeding polygyny, with females farming symbiotic Fusarium fungi in wood galleries. First recorded in the Iberian Peninsula in 2025, it is considered a high-risk quarantine pest due to its polyphagous habits and potential to vector pathogenic fungi.
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Valid Bark Beetle
Euwallacea validus is an ambrosia beetle native to Asia, first detected in North America in Long Island, New York in 1975. It is the most widespread and longest-established Euwallacea species in the United States, having spread throughout the eastern U.S. and into Canada. The beetle maintains a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with two fungal associates: Fusarium oligoseptatum (AF-4) and Raffaelea subfusca, which it cultivates in galleries bored into host trees. Unlike some related invasive ambrosia beetles, its fungal symbionts do not appear to be virulent pathogens to known hosts.
Gnathotrichus
ambrosia beetles
Gnathotrichus is a genus of ambrosia beetles in the family Curculionidae containing at least 40 described species. Species in this genus cultivate fungal symbionts in wood galleries and are primarily associated with coniferous hosts. Several species have been studied for their pheromone-mediated aggregation behavior, with males producing species-specific attractants. The genus includes both native and invasive species, with Gnathotrichus materiarius established in Europe since the 1930s.
Gnathotrichus materiarius
American utilizable wood bark beetle
Gnathotrichus materiarius is an ambrosia beetle native to North America that has been introduced to Europe, where it was first detected in France in 1933. It excavates galleries in coniferous sapwood and maintains an obligate symbiosis with the fungus Endomycopsis fasciculata, which adults inoculate into wood and which serves as the primary food source for both larvae and adults. In Central Europe, it completes two generations per year, with adult flight beginning in early May and F2 generation adults overwintering in wood. Despite nearly a century of presence in Europe and its association with economically important conifers including Picea and Pinus, it has not caused significant damage, functioning primarily as a secondary pest of decaying or previously infested trees.
Gnathotrichus pilosus
Gnathotrichus pilosus is an ambrosia beetle species in the family Curculionidae, described by Wood in 1973. The species is distributed across North America and Middle America. Like other ambrosia beetles in the genus Gnathotrichus, it is presumed to cultivate fungal symbionts within wood galleries, though specific ecological details for this species remain limited in published literature.
Gnathotrichus retusus
western pinewood stainer
Gnathotrichus retusus, commonly known as the western pinewood stainer, is an ambrosia beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is primarily univoltine, with a minimum development time of 40 days from egg to adult in Douglas-fir logs. The species is known to reproduce in both Douglas-fir and western hemlock stumps. Flight activity is strongly crepuscular, with a major peak at dusk and a minor morning peak, regulated primarily by light intensity.
Gnathotrichus sulcatus
western hemlock wood stainer
Gnathotrichus sulcatus, commonly known as the western hemlock wood stainer, is an ambrosia beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is native to western North America and is a pest of softwood logs, particularly in timber processing areas. The species produces sulcatol as an aggregation pheromone and exhibits secondary attraction behavior. Both sexes respond to host kairomones including ethanol and α-pinene. The beetle cultivates fungal symbionts in its galleries, including Ambrosiella sulcati and Raffaelea sulcati.
Hylastini
Hylastini is a tribe of bark and ambrosia beetles within the subfamily Scolytinae. These beetles are primarily associated with coniferous host plants across multiple families. The tribe is of significant economic importance due to its role as a forest pest and its potential for international spread through trade in wood products.
Hylocurus rudis
Hylocurus rudis is a bark beetle species in the weevil family Curculionidae, described by Wood & Bright in 1992. It belongs to the genus Hylocurus, which contains ambrosia beetles that typically inhabit dead or dying wood. The species has been recorded in North America, specifically in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec. Very limited biological information is available for this species, with only two observations documented in iNaturalist.
Hypothenemus crudiae
Hypothenemus crudiae is a species of bark beetle in the family Curculionidae. It has been documented in North America, Europe, and parts of South America and Africa. As a member of the genus Hypothenemus, it belongs to a group of small ambrosia beetles that bore into wood and plant material.
Hypothenemus exiguus
Hypothenemus exiguus is a species of small bark beetle in the family Curculionidae. The species was originally described as Trischidias exigua by Wood in 1986 and is currently recognized as a synonym under the genus Hypothenemus. It has been recorded from Middle America and North America, including the conterminous 48 United States. Little specific information is available regarding its biology or ecology compared to better-known congeners such as the coffee berry borer (H. hampei).
Hypothenemus georgiae
Hypothenemus georgiae is a small bark beetle species in the weevil family Curculionidae, originally described as Trischidias georgiae by Hopkins in 1915. The species belongs to the genus Hypothenemus, which includes several economically significant pests of agricultural crops, most notably the coffee berry borer (H. hampei). Little specific information is documented about the biology or ecology of H. georgiae compared to its congener H. hampei.
Monarthrum
Monarthrum is a genus of bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, containing approximately five described species. These beetles are associated with dying and dead wood, particularly oak, and exhibit ambrosia beetle characteristics including attraction to host volatiles and potential fungal symbiosis. The genus has been studied for its chemical ecology, with specific compounds identified as attractants for monitoring purposes.
Monarthrum fasciatum
Yellow-vested Timber Beetle
Monarthrum fasciatum is a small bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, commonly known as the Yellow-vested Timber Beetle. It develops in dying and dead oak trees and produces three generations annually in Missouri. The species has been studied for its life history and gallery construction, with females outnumbering males approximately 2:1. No association has been found between this beetle and oak wilt disease.
Monarthrum scutellare
ambrosia beetle
Monarthrum scutellare is a scolytine weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) native to North America. It is an ambrosia beetle, a guild that cultivates fungal symbionts within wood galleries rather than feeding directly on plant tissues. The species has been documented in British Columbia, Canada, where it has been detected using a combination of ethanol and synthetic 3-hydroxyoctan-2-one lures. Like other Monarthrum species, it poses potential threats as an invasive pest due to its cryptic lifestyle and association with forest ecosystems.
Pityophthorina
Pityophthorina is a subtribe of ambrosia beetles within the tribe Xyleborini (subfamily Scolytinae, family Curculionidae). These beetles are characterized by their obligate mutualisms with ambrosia fungi, which they cultivate in wood galleries. The subtribe includes genera such as Pityophthorus, which are predominantly associated with coniferous hosts. Members are small, cylindrical bark beetles with reduced elytral declivity and specialized mycangia for transporting fungal spores.
Pityophthorus liquidambarus
Pityophthorus liquidambarus is a bark beetle species in the weevil family Curculionidae, described by Blackman in 1921. It belongs to the genus Pityophthorus, a group of small ambrosia beetles primarily associated with woody plants. Very little specific information is documented about this particular species compared to its congener Pityophthorus juglandis, which has been extensively studied as the vector of thousand cankers disease in walnuts.
Pityophthorus virilis
Pityophthorus virilis is a species of bark beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, first described by Blackman in 1928. The genus Pityophthorus comprises small ambrosia beetles that primarily infest coniferous trees, though species-level biology for P. virilis remains poorly documented. Most congeneric species are associated with Pinus species and other conifers.
Platypodinae
pinhole borers, ambrosia beetles
Platypodinae is a weevil subfamily within Curculionidae commonly known as pinhole borers. The vast majority of species are ambrosia beetles that cultivate symbiotic fungi in tunnels excavated within dead wood, which serves as the sole food source for their larvae. They function as important early decomposers of dead woody plant material, particularly in wet tropical environments. Only two species are known not to engage in fungal cultivation.
Pseudopityophthorus
oak bark beetles
A genus of bark and ambrosia beetles in the family Curculionidae, comprising more than 30 described species distributed primarily in North and Central America. Species in this genus are strongly associated with oak trees (Quercus spp.) and have been investigated as potential vectors of forest pathogens, including the oak wilt fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum and the canker-causing fungus Geosmithia pallida. Some species exhibit phoretic behavior and form associations with other organisms including mites and nematodes.
Pseudopityophthorus asperulus
Pseudopityophthorus asperulus is a bark beetle species in the family Curculionidae, described by Blackman in 1931. It belongs to the genus Pseudopityophthorus, a group of small ambrosia beetles that tunnel beneath bark. The species is recorded from North America. Like other members of its genus, it is associated with woody host plants, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Pseudopityophthorus pruinosus
Pseudopityophthorus pruinosus is a species of bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae. It was described by Wood & Bright in 1992 and is known from North America and Middle America. The species has been documented in association with nematodes, though the nature of this relationship remains unspecified in available literature. As a member of the tribe Xyleborini, it belongs to a group of ambrosia beetles that typically cultivate fungal gardens within wood galleries.