Symbiotic-fungus
Guides
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.
Atta texana
Texas Leafcutter Ant, Town Ant, Parasol Ant, Fungus Ant, Cut Ant, Night Ant
Atta texana is a fungus-farming leafcutter ant and the northernmost species in the genus Atta, distributed across Texas, Louisiana, and northeastern Mexico. Colonies are large and polygynous, containing several queens and up to several million workers. Foragers harvest leaf material from over 200 plant species to cultivate symbiotic fungus gardens, making this species a significant agricultural and ornamental pest capable of defoliating a citrus tree within 24 hours.
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.
Sirex nigricornis
black-horned woodwasp, native woodwasp
Sirex nigricornis is a native North American woodwasp (family Siricidae) that inhabits pine forests in the eastern United States. Unlike the invasive congener Sirex noctilio, this species primarily attacks stressed, dying, or recently dead pines rather than healthy trees. Females possess a prominent ovipositor for drilling into wood and deposit eggs along with a symbiotic wood-decaying fungus. The species serves as host for multiple parasitoids including the nematode Deladenus proximus, which sterilizes female eggs, and the ichneumonid wasp Rhyssa howdenorum.
Siricidae
horntails, wood wasps
Siricidae is a family of approximately 150 species of non-social wasps commonly known as horntails or woodwasps. These insects are characterized by their cylindrical, cigar-shaped bodies and the prominent spine or "cornus" at the tip of the abdomen that gives the family its common name. Females possess a long, drill-like ovipositor used to bore into wood and deposit eggs. Siricidae are xylophagous, with larvae developing inside dead, dying, or weakened trees, where they feed on wood colonized by symbiotic fungi that females introduce during oviposition. The family is economically significant: most native species are not pests and target already-compromised trees, but introduced species such as Sirex noctilio have become major forest pests in pine plantations worldwide.
Tremex
woodwasp, horntail
Tremex is a genus of woodwasps (family Siricidae) containing approximately 33 species with a primarily Holarctic distribution. These large, cylindrical wasps are characterized by females possessing a prominent, spear-like ovipositor used to bore into hardwood trees and lay eggs. Unlike their relatives in the subfamily Siricinae, Tremex species associate with the white-rot fungus Cerrena unicolor rather than Amylostereum. The larvae tunnel through wood and feed on both the fungus and decayed wood material. Though they appear intimidating due to their size and visible ovipositor, they are non-venomous and pose no threat to humans.
Xyleborus impressus
Xyleborus impressus is a species of ambrosia beetle in the family Curculionidae, first described by Eichhoff in 1868. As a member of the genus Xyleborus, it exhibits the characteristic fungus-farming behavior of ambrosia beetles, cultivating symbiotic fungi within wood galleries. The species has been documented in both North and South America. Like other ambrosia beetles, it is a wood-boring insect that lives most of its life concealed within host trees.