Drought-associated-outbreak

Guides

• Phoracantha semipunctata

  Australian Eucalyptus longhorn, Common Eucalyptus Longhorn, eucalyptus longhorned borer, firewood beetle

  Phoracantha semipunctata is a wood-boring beetle in the family Cerambycidae, native to Australia and invasive in many regions where Eucalyptus has been introduced. Adults are crepuscular, active during warmer evening hours when temperatures exceed 15°C. Females lay eggs under loose bark or in bark crevices of stressed or freshly cut Eucalyptus trees; larvae bore into phloem and sapwood, potentially girdling and killing trees. The species is a significant pest in plantations outside Australia, though outbreaks in its native range are associated with drought-stressed trees.

  cerambycidaeeucalyptus-pestinvasive-specieswood-borercrepuscularoligophagousdrought-associated-outbreakbiological-control-targetAustralia-nativeglobal-invasive