External microstructure of the ambrosia beetle Platypus koryoensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae)

Abstract

Platypus koryoensis is a minute ambrosia beetle found in forests. It can cause significant economic damage to oak trees. Recently in Korea, it has been reported as a major pest of oak trees, because it causes sooty mold of oak by introducing the pathogenic fungus Raffaelea sp. In this paper, we demonstrate the fine structural aspects of the external body of the ambrosia beetle using field emission scanning electron microscopy, as a part of basic research into this pest so that strategies for its control might be developed. This beetle has a sensory system well developed to respond to both visual and chemical stimuli. Both sexes have a pair of faceted compound eyes and a pair of knobbed antennae, but simple eyes are absent. The mouthparts on its distinct snouts are effective devices for penetration and for boring holes. The mouthparts consist of the labrum, a pair of mandibles, a pair of maxillae and the labium. Both the maxillary and the labial palpi have the function of directing the food to the mouth and holding it while the mandibles chew the food. The distal ends of these palpi are flattened and have shovel-like setae. The thorax has a particularly hard exoskeleton and hard elytra, including powerful muscles that operate both the wings and the legs. The legs are multi-segmented and have a strong femur and tibia, including one pair of claws on the end of each tarsal segment. Characteristically, both male and female beetles have mycangial cavities for storing spores and other microorganisms, but only females have three pairs of large depressions on their dorsal thorax.

NEW RECORD OF THE AMBROSIA BEETLE, Treptoplatypus micrurus Schedl. ATTACK ON SONOKEMBANG (Pterocarpus indicus Willd.) IN BATU, INDONESIA

“…Elytra characteristic of two ambrosia beetles species; A. T. micrurus which collected from Batu, East Java, and B. T. abietis (Buss, 2008). In Platypodines, mycangia are usually more developed in females than males (Kent, 2010) and there are numerous mycangia on the female pronotum such as in P. quercivorus and P. koryoensis (Wood, 1993;Atkinson, 2000;Moon et al, 2008a). On pronotum, mycangia pores can be easily distingushed in T. micrurus females.…”

NEW RECORD OF THE AMBROSIA BEETLE, Treptoplatypus micrurus Schedl. ATTACK ON SONOKEMBANG (Pterocarpus indicus Willd.) IN BATU, INDONESIA

“…It was shown by the end of elytra, where elytra of T. abietis has the sharp tip and sharply concave than T. micrurus (Figure 3). In Platypodines, mycangia are usually more developed in females than males (Kent, 2010) and there are numerous mycangia on the female pronotum such as in P. quercivorus and P. koryoensis (Wood, 1993;Atkinson, 2000;Moon et al, 2008a). On pronotum, mycangia pores can be easily distingushed in T. micrurus females.…”

“…Moreover, an exotic ambrosia beetle, Euplatypus parallelus infested Sonokembang trees in southern Thailand (Bumrungsari et al, 2008) and in Malang, Indonesia (Tarno et al, 2014). In addition, other species of ambrosia beetles in the South Asia were reported for Cashew in Goa, India (Marutadurai et al, 2013), while oak ambrosia beetles (Platypus quercivorus and P. Koryoensis) infested Oak tress in Japan and South Korea (Ueda and Kobayashi, 2004;Moon et al, 2008a).…”

First record of two ambrosia beetle, Platypus quercivorus (Murayama) and Platypus koryoensis (Murayama) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Platypodinae) in Mainland China

“…During this survey, we collected suspected specimens of P. quercivorus and P. koryoensis from multiple sites (Figure 1). The senior author identified specimens by comparing the morphological characters with available references (Nobuchi 1973;Hong et al 2006;Moon et al 2008) and identifications were confirmed by Roger Beaver (Chiang Mai, Thailand). One representative specimen of each species has been selected from Yunnan and Jiangxi respectively for molecular diagnosis (P. quercivorus-III, P. koryoensis-III in Table 1).…”