Native buprestid and longhorn beetles in the mediterranean basin

Abstract

The prominent buprestid and longhorn beetles damaging trees in the Mediterranean Basin are Cerambyx welensii, Prinobius myardi and Cerambyx cerdo, especially C. cerdo mirbeckii, for the Cerambycidae, and Coraebus florentinus, Coraebus undatus and Trachypteris picta for the Buprestidae. Most of them are considered as secondary pests, colonizing the trunk or branches of weakened trees, especially evergreen oaks. Coraebus florentinus, C. undatus and C. welensii may also colonize vigorous trees. By promoting infection by pathogens through their emergence holes or affecting sap conduction, most of these species can play an important role as inciting factors during forest declines. In this regard, their ecological and economical importance is likely to grow in the future. Nonetheless relatively few studies have been conducted on their ecology, and interactions with their host trees, but recent investigations have highlighted various aspects of their population dynamics and chemical ecology.