Pinhole-borer
Guides
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.
Myoplatypus
Myoplatypus is a rare genus of pinhole borer beetles in the subfamily Platypodinae, comprising nine tropical and one temperate American species. The genus was described by Wood in 1993 and remained known only from North and Central America until the first South American records from Peru were documented. Most species are represented by very few specimens, suggesting either narrow geographic ranges or specialized ecological requirements.
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.
Treptoplatypus
Treptoplatypus is a genus of ambrosia beetles (pinhole borers) in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Platypodinae. The genus comprises more than 20 described species, including the rare European species T. oxyurus, which forms obligate nutritional symbioses with ambrosia fungi cultivated within wood galleries. Members of this genus are wood-boring insects that colonize dead or dying trees, with some species showing specialized host associations.