Xyleborus ferrugineus (Fabricius)

Beaver, R. A. & Liu, L. Y., 2010, An annotated synopsis of Taiwanese bark and ambrosia beetles, with new synonymy, new combinations and new records (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Zootaxa 2602, pp. 1-47 : 31

118. Xyleborus ferrugineus (Fabricius) *

Bostrichus ferrugineus Fabricius, 1801: 388 .

Distribution: Probably native to tropical America ( Wood 1977), but now circumtropical. Not common in the Oriental region, but more widely present than indicated by Wood and Bright (1992). New to Taiwan. [6] New record: Chiayi, Zhongpu, 13.xii.1961 (Y. L. Yang) (1).

Hosts: Strongly polyphagous, with several hundred hosts recorded ( Schedl 1963; Ohno 1990; Ohno et al. 1988, 1989).

Biology: The biology of the species is described by Schedl (1963) and Entwhistle (1972). Norris (1976) summarises studies by his group on the role of the associated ambrosia fungi in the nutrition and development of the beetle, the requirement of a fungal-produced steroid for pupation, and of associated bacteria for oocyte maturation. The species has some economic importance as a pest of cocoa ( Theobroma cacao ) ( Sterculiaceae ) as a vector of cocoa wilt ( Entwhistle 1972). Wood (2007) considers it one of the most destructive species of harvested timber in South America.