New species and new records of exotic Scolytinae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) in Europe

The first host plant dataset of Curculionidae Scolytinae of the world: miscellaneous Tribes

Tribes Coriacephilini, Corthylini, Cryphalini, Ernoporini, Trypophloeini, Xyloctonini, and Xyloterini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae; Scolytinae) include spermophagous, phloeophagous, and xylomycetophagous species. Besides direct damage caused by burrowing into host plant tissues, some species are vectors of aggressive pathogens causing plant dieback and death, with consequent economic and ecological relevance. The international trade in plants and wood products is one of the main pathways for the introduction of non-native species worldwide. In this context, data availability on host plants and their economic uses is essential in pest risk assessment and for planning effective detection and monitoring strategies against invasive species. This paper provides a complete and updated list of host plants, with economic categorization, for 2139 scolytine species.

New records of non-native Coleoptera in Italy

Background

In the last decades, climate change and globalisation have been exacerbating the introduction of non-native beetles worldwide. Due toits peculiar territory, climate and geographical position in the middle of the Mediterranean Basin, Italy is one of the European countries with the highest number of intercepted, adventive and established non-native beetles, some of which are invasive. In this perspective, producing new faunistic records and continuously updating reliable and easily accessible distributional data is a fundamental step in investigating and potentially preventing further species introduction.

New information

The aim of this contribution is to report and discuss new faunistic records of non-native Coleoptera in Italy. For some species, new records enlarge the previously-known distribution (e.g. the ambrosia beetles Anisandrusmaiche (Kurentzov, 1941) and Cnestusmutilatus (Blandford, 1894) or the click beetle Monocrepidiusposticus (Eschscholtz, 1829)), while for others (e.g. the scarab beetle Archophileurusspinosus Dechambre, 2006), data confirm their establishment and highlight a possible expansion phase. The false powderpost beetles Ptilineurusmarmoratus (Reitter, 1877) and the longhorn beetle Xylotrechuschinensis (Chevrolat, 1852) are two new additions to the Italian fauna, while the establishment of the monotomid beetle Monotomaamericana Aubé 1837 is confirmed.

The first full host plant dataset of Curculionidae Scolytinae of the world: tribe Xyleborini LeConte, 1876

Xyleborini is the largest tribe of Scolytinae accounting for about 1300 species worldwide; all species are primarily xylomycetophagous, developing on symbiotic fungi farmed in plant woody tissues. Xyleborini wood-boring action, associated with the inoculum of symbiotic fungi, can lead, sometimes, to the emergence of host plant dieback, wood damage and death; for this reason, multiple Xyleborini are major pests on both cultivated, forest and ornamental trees. Many Xyleborini are invasive worldwide and great effort is expended to manage their biological invasions or prevent new arrivals. Imports of host plants often have a primary role as a pathway for introduction and are frequently responsible for the establishment of species in non-native environments. In this context, data availability on Xyleborini host plants is a major limiting factor in the development of effective detection and monitoring strategies as well as a fundamental variable to consider in risk assessment of plant pests and invasive species. This contribution provides updated host records and the hosts economic categorization for the 1293 Xyleborini known worldwide to date.