You Li1,2,3, Andrew J Johnson3, Lei Gao4, Chengxu Wu5, Jiri Hulcr3. 1. Vector-borne Virus Research Center, Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Plant Virology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China. 2. State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China. 3. School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. 4. Shanghai Academy of Landscape Architecture Science and Planning, Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Ecological Landscaping of Challenging Urban Sites, Shanghai, China. 5. College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ips is a bark beetle genus of 45 species, many of which are pests of conifer forests and plantations under stress. Twelve Ips species are recorded from China and presumably native there. From 2016 to 2018, specimens suspected to be Ips calligraphus and Ips grandicollis, were collected from traps with ethanol as a sole lure in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. Both species originate in North America and infest various species of native or introduced pines. Since Ips species are known to cause or exacerbate problems in pine plantations, and a regional survey using traps baited with attractants were implemented in this study to investigate the extent of the introduction. RESULTS: Both I. calligraphus and I. grandicollis have been collected repeatedly from several traps with Ips attractants in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China since 2016. Potential distributions of these two species in Asia, inferred using MaxEnt, is extensive, given the high projected environmental suitability in North America, South America, Mediterranean Europe, Northern Africa, and Eastern Asia. The host plant of I. calligraphus from Zhuhai was identified as slash pine Pinus elliottii using DNA barcoding of gut contents from trapped individuals. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of the establishment of two American pine bark beetles, I. calligraphus and I. grandicollis in continental Asia. The gut content of both species suggests that these pest feeds on a non-native host. Whether the two species present high-risk to Asian forests will become clear with more research on their interactions with native pines.
BACKGROUND: Ips is a bark beetle genus of 45 species, many of which are pests of conifer forests and plantations under stress. Twelve Ips species are recorded from China and presumably native there. From 2016 to 2018, specimens suspected to be Ips calligraphus and Ips grandicollis, were collected from traps with ethanol as a sole lure in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. Both species originate in North America and infest various species of native or introduced pines. Since Ips species are known to cause or exacerbate problems in pine plantations, and a regional survey using traps baited with attractants were implemented in this study to investigate the extent of the introduction. RESULTS: Both I. calligraphus and I. grandicollis have been collected repeatedly from several traps with Ips attractants in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China since 2016. Potential distributions of these two species in Asia, inferred using MaxEnt, is extensive, given the high projected environmental suitability in North America, South America, Mediterranean Europe, Northern Africa, and Eastern Asia. The host plant of I. calligraphus from Zhuhai was identified as slash pinePinus elliottii using DNA barcoding of gut contents from trapped individuals. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of the establishment of two American pine bark beetles, I. calligraphus and I. grandicollis in continental Asia. The gut content of both species suggests that these pest feeds on a non-native host. Whether the two species present high-risk to Asian forests will become clear with more research on their interactions with native pines.