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The redbay ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) uses stem silhouette diameter as a visual host-finding cue

Informally Refereed

Abstract

The redbay ambrosia beetle (Syleborus glabratus Eichhoff) is an invasive pest and vector of the pathogen that causes laurel wilt disease in Lauraceous tree species in the eastern United States. This insect uses olfactory cues during host finding, but use of visual cues by X. Glabratus has not been previously investigated and may help explain diameter-related patterns in host tree mortality. The objective of this study was to determine whether X. glabratus females visually detect silhouettes of tree stems during host finding and are more likely to land on large diameter stems than smaller ones.

Keywords

laurel wilt, invasiv species, stem diameter, visual orientation, Xyleborus glabratus

Citation

Mayfield, Albert E. III; Brownie, Cavell. 2013. The redbay ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) uses stem silhouette diameter as a visual host-finding cue. Environmental Entomology 42(4):743-750.
Citations
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/45472