Ips schmutzenhoferi Holzschuh, 1988

Beaver, Roger A. & Smith, Sarah M., 2022, The bark and ambrosia beetles of Bhutan (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae): a synopsis with three new species of Scolytinae, Zootaxa 5174 (1), pp. 1-24 : 9

Ips schmutzenhoferi Holzschuh

Ips schmutzenhoferi Holzschuh, 1988: 482 .

This species was described from Bhutan ( Holzschuh 1988). Further records from Bhutan can be found in the publications cited below.Although synonymised with Ips stebbingi Strohmeyer by Wood (1992), several later studies have shown that it is both morphologically and phylogenetically distinct ( Cognato & Sperling 2000; Cognato & Vogler 2001; Buhroo & Lakatos 2011).

Distribution. Bhutan, India (Sikkim), Nepal.

Biology. The species attacks several genera of conifers ( Pinus , Picea , Larix ) ( Pinaceae ). The basic biology, life history and associated blue-stain fungi have been described by Schmutzenhofer (1988a), Eidmann & Wiersma (1989) and Kirisits et al. (2002). The components of the aggregation pheromone have been analysed by Eidmann & Birgersson (1988) and Kohnle et al. (1988). It tends to breed at higher altitudes (2500‒3800m) than I. longifolia ( Schmutzenhofer 1988a) . It is an aggressive species capable of killing trees through mass attacks. The history, causes and extent of the outbreak in western Bhutan in the 1980’s leading to extensive mortality of Picea spinulosa and Pinus wallichiana , are discussed by Schmutzenhofer (1988a), Chhetri (1991), and Kirisits et al. (2002), and control methods suggested.