Invasive-potential
Guides
Trichocera
winter crane flies
Trichocera is a genus of winter crane flies comprising over 140 described species. Adults are among the few insects regularly active during winter months, often appearing at porch lights or forming aerial swarms on sunny days. The genus is distinguished from other crane flies by the presence of three ocelli on the crown of the head. Most North American species belong to this genus, with larvae developing in decaying organic matter including leaf litter, compost, fungi, and manure.
Trypophloeus
Trypophloeus is a genus of bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, containing approximately 12 species distributed across North America, Europe, and Asia. The genus is primarily associated with Salicaceae hosts, particularly Populus and Salix species. Trypophloeus populi has gained recent attention as the causative agent of sudden aspen decline in North America. Several species are significant forest pests, with T. klimeschi causing extensive damage to shelter forests in northwest China and T. binodulus affecting poplar plantations in Spain.
Urophorus humeralis
pineapple beetle, yellow-shouldered souring beetle
Urophorus humeralis is a sap-feeding beetle in the family Nitidulidae, commonly known as the pineapple beetle or yellow-shouldered souring beetle. The species has a remarkably broad distribution spanning Africa, North America, Oceania, Southern Asia, Europe, and temperate Asia. It is an agricultural pest with documented associations to multiple crop plants, including a first reported infestation of pear fruits in China. The species has been identified as a vector of the plant pathogen Ceratocystis paradoxa in sugarcane in Hawaii, with adults preferentially attracted to diseased over healthy plant material.
Wyeomyia mitchellii
bromeliad mosquito
Wyeomyia mitchellii is a mosquito species in the family Culicidae, commonly known as the bromeliad mosquito. Native to the New World, it has been introduced to South Africa, marking the first confirmed record of this species in the Old World. The species is associated with bromeliad phytotelmata (water-holding plants) and has been detected in urban and peri-urban environments through routine vector surveillance.
Xyleborinus artestriatus
Xyleborinus artestriatus is a species of ambrosia beetle in the subfamily Scolytinae. Like other members of its genus, it is a fungus-farming beetle that excavates galleries in wood and cultivates symbiotic fungi for larval nutrition. The species has been recorded in North America, Australia, Oceania, and Southern Asia. Its specific ecological role and host associations remain poorly documented compared to better-studied congeners such as Xyleborinus saxesenii.
Xyleborus ferrugineus
Xyleborus ferrugineus is an ambrosia beetle (subfamily Scolytinae) that cultivates symbiotic fungi for nutrition rather than feeding directly on wood. Females bore into host trees to create galleries where they farm ambrosia fungi, which serve as the sole food source for adults and larvae. The species exhibits strong sexual dimorphism, with females being larger, more numerous, and solely responsible for gallery formation and colony founding. It has been documented as a potential vector of Ceratocystis cacaofunesta, the causal agent of lethal wilt disease in cocoa.
Xyleborus volvulus
Xyleborus volvulus is a bark beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions and has been documented in North America, the Caribbean, Middle America, and Africa. The species is an ambrosia beetle that cultivates symbiotic fungi in tunnels bored into wood. It has been observed to carry Raffaelea lauricola, the pathogen causing laurel wilt disease, which has altered its status from a wood degrader to a potential pest of avocado and other lauraceous trees.
Xyleborus xylographus
Xyleborus xylographus is a species of bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, first described by Thomas Say in 1826. It belongs to the tribe Xyleborini, which includes ambrosia beetles that cultivate symbiotic fungi in wood galleries. The species has been recorded in North America, the Caribbean, and Southern Asia. Like other members of its genus, it likely engages in fungus-farming behavior, though specific ecological details for this species remain limited in published literature.
Xylocopa appendiculata
Appendiculate Carpenter Bee, Asian Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa appendiculata is a large carpenter bee native to eastern Asia, first reported in the United States in 2013 with established populations in northern California. It belongs to the subgenus Alloxylocopa. The species has been studied using distribution modeling to predict its potential spread across North America. Like other carpenter bees, it nests in wood and serves as a pollinator, though specific ecological details for this species remain limited.