Fusarium-dieback
Guides
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 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.