New records of two invasive ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini) to mainland china

Abstract

Here we report new records of two invasive ambrosia beetles, Xyleborus affinis and X. ferrugineus, in mainland China. For X. affinis, 89 specimens were collected at 12 locations from five hosts (Eucalyptus robusta, Eucalyptus sp., Hevea brasiliensis, Schefflera octophylla and Sindora glabra) during 2014–2019. In 2019, there are only two samples of X. ferrugineus found in a dead log in Guangdong province. We suspected that both were likely introduced to China through international trade, and X. affinis may have arrived by natural dispersal. More investigation and research are needed to determine distribution, biology and ecology of these two Xyleborus species in China.