Filamentous fungal associates of the alder bark beetle, Alniphagus aspericollis, including an undescribed species of Neonectria.

ABSTRACT: Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae; Scolytinae) are tree-infesting insects that consume subcortical tissues and fungi. Species capable of killing their host trees are most commonly associated with conifers, as very few bark beetle species infest and kill hardwood hosts directly. The alder bark beetle, Alniphagus aspericollis, is a hardwood-killing bark beetle that colonizes and kills red alder, Alnus rubra. Conifer-killing bark beetles have well-known associations with symbiotic ophiostomatoid fungi that facilitate their life histories, but it is unknown whether A. aspericollis has any fungal associates. This study was conducted to identify any consistent filamentous fungal associates of A. aspericollis and characterize the consistency of observed beetle-fungus relationships. Beetles

SUBMITTER: Lee GYS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10166519 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature