Xyleborini
Guides
Ambrosiodmus obliquus
Ambrosiodmus obliquus is a species of ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, first described by Blackman in 1928. Like other members of the genus Ambrosiodmus, this beetle engages in a specialized symbiotic relationship with wood-decaying fungi, specifically species in the genus Flavodon. The beetle farms these fungi in galleries excavated within wood, where the fungus serves as the primary food source for both adults and larvae. This species has been documented across multiple continents including North America, the Caribbean, Middle America, Africa, and South America.
Anisandrus
Anisandrus is a genus of ambrosia beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae, tribe Xyleborini, comprising approximately 40-41 species distributed primarily across Asia, with some species introduced to Europe and North America. The genus is characterized by a mycangial tuft at the pronotal base used for transporting symbiotic fungi. Several species, including A. maiche and A. dispar, are recognized as economically significant pests of fruit orchards, ornamental trees, and forest ecosystems.
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.
Coptoborus
Coptoborus is a genus of ambrosia beetles in the weevil family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, tribe Xyleborini. These tiny beetles bore into trees and cultivate fungus as food, a behavior characteristic of ambrosia beetles. The genus contains more than 70 described species, with many new species discovered in Central and South America in recent years. Some species are economically significant pests, particularly of balsa trees in Ecuador.
Coptoborus pseudotenuis
Coptoborus pseudotenuis is a species of ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, described by Wood & Bright in 1992. As a member of the genus Coptoborus, it is a fungus-farming beetle that bores into wood and cultivates symbiotic fungi for food. The species is part of a diverse group of beetles that play significant roles in forest ecosystems, though some related species can become economic pests. It was described prior to the 2021 revision of the genus by Smith and Cognato that named numerous new species after science fiction heroines.
Cyclorhipidion bodoanum
An invasive ambrosia beetle native to East Asia, now established in North America and Europe. First detected in Europe in 1960 in Alsace, France, with subsequent slow expansion across the continent. Confirmed in the Bohemian Massif of the Czech Republic in 2020, demonstrating continued eastward spread. Frequently introduced to new regions through international trade in wood and wood products.
Euwallacea
Ambrosia beetles, Shot hole borers
Euwallacea is a genus of ambrosia beetles within the tribe Xyleborini. All species are obligate symbionts with ambrosia fungi, which they farm in galleries excavated within host trees. The genus has a pantropical distribution with origins in Asia and Wallacea, and several species have become globally significant invasive pests. Members of the Euwallacea fornicatus species complex, including the polyphagous shot hole borer, cause substantial economic damage to fruit and timber trees through mass colonization and associated fungal pathogens.
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 similis
ambrosia beetle
Euwallacea similis is a small ambrosia beetle (2.2–2.7 mm) native to South and Southeast Asia and Australia, now globally distributed through human trade in timber and wood commodities. It colonizes stressed, cut, or recently dead host trees rather than healthy living trees, distinguishing it from related invasive species like E. fornicatus. The species exhibits haplodiploid sex determination and inbreeding polygyny, with females farming symbiotic Fusarium fungi in wood galleries. First recorded in the Iberian Peninsula in 2025, it is considered a high-risk quarantine pest due to its polyphagous habits and potential to vector pathogenic fungi.
ambrosia-beetleinvasive-specieshaplodiploidfungal-symbiosisforest-pestxyleboriniquarantine-pestwood-boring-beetleglobal-trade-vectorcryptic-species-complexsecondary-borercrepuscularlight-attractedfusarium-symbiontparthenogenesisinbreeding-polygynygenome-sequencedchromosome-fissioniberian-peninsula-introduction2025-range-expansionPseudopityophthorus agrifoliae
Pseudopityophthorus agrifoliae is a bark beetle species in the weevil family Curculionidae. The species was described by Blackman in 1931 and is known from North America. Like other members of its genus, it is associated with coniferous trees. The specific epithet 'agrifoliae' suggests a historical association with coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), though this host relationship requires confirmation.
Pseudopityophthorus pruinosus
Pseudopityophthorus pruinosus is a species of bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae. It was described by Wood & Bright in 1992 and is known from North America and Middle America. The species has been documented in association with nematodes, though the nature of this relationship remains unspecified in available literature. As a member of the tribe Xyleborini, it belongs to a group of ambrosia beetles that typically cultivate fungal gardens within wood galleries.
Trypodendron scabricolle
Trypodendron scabricolle is a bark beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae. It belongs to the tribe Xyleborini, a group of ambrosia beetles that cultivate fungal gardens in wood. The genus Trypodendron comprises small to medium-sized ambrosia beetles that tunnel into the wood of dead or dying trees. This species, like other members of its genus, is associated with fungal symbiosis rather than direct phloem feeding.
Xyleborus bispinatus
Xyleborus bispinatus is a tropical ambrosia beetle in the tribe Xyleborini. Native to the Americas, it has established populations in Florida and been introduced to the Iberian Peninsula. The beetle maintains nutritional mutualisms with ambrosia fungi and has demonstrated unusual flexibility in acquiring symbionts from invasive beetle species, including plant pathogens. It is a potential vector for laurel wilt disease and has been associated with avocado decline in multiple regions.
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 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.
Xyleborus pubescens
Xyleborus pubescens is a species of bark beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae. First described by Zimmermann in 1868, this small wood-boring beetle belongs to a genus known for fungus-farming behavior, where beetles cultivate symbiotic fungi in tunnels they excavate within wood. The species occurs in North America, with records extending from the Caribbean through Middle America to Canada, including Ontario.
Xyleborus viduus
Xyleborus viduus is a species of bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, first described by Eichhoff in 1878. It is native to North America and belongs to a genus containing numerous ambrosia and bark beetle species, many of which are economically significant forest pests. The species is provisionally accepted in taxonomic databases, indicating some uncertainty regarding its current classification status.
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.