Bursaphelenchus fungivorus (Nematoda: Aphelenchida) associated with Orthotomicus erosus (Coleoptera: Scolitydae) in Spain

Abstract

A survey of the xylophagous insects in the conifer forests, mainly Pinus pinaster woodlands, in Spain was carried out in order to study the phoretic vectors of nematodes of the genus Bursaphelenchus. Fifteen environmental sites were characterized on the bases of altitude, rainfall, temperature and conifer species. Specimens of Orthotomicus erosus (n ¼ 3476) were captured of which 59% carried nematodes under their elytrous, most of them were aphelenchid fungal-feeding nematodes, but B. fungivorus was found on the beetles from Las Cumbres, Villa Blanca, (Huelva), southern Spain, which represent the first record of O. erosus as vector of a Bursaphelenchus sp. The nematode is characterized by morphometric and biomolecular techniques and distribution and ecology of the insect is discussed.

Pine volatiles and terpenoid compounds attractive to European xylophagous species, vectors of Bursaphelenchus spp. nematodes

“…Furthermore, the scolytids Tomicus piniperda (Linnaeus), T. minor (Hartig), Orthotomicus erosus Wollaston, O. proximus (Eichhoff), Hylastes ater (Paykull), Ips sexdentatus Börner, Hylurgops palliatus Gyllenhal, Dryocoetes autographus (Ratzeburg) and Hylurgus ligniperda (Fabr.) were found in association with other species of Bursaphelenchus (Arias et al 2005;Braasch 2001;Carletti et al 2008;Penas et al 2006).…”

“…Bursaphelenchus mucronatus Mamiya & Enda, B. sexdentati Rhmü and B. fungivorus Franklin & Hooper proved to be pathogenic, in particular conditions, against European pines (Arias et al 2005;Braasch et al 1999;Skarmoutsos and Michalopoulos-Skarmoutsos 2000); the ascertained vector of the first species was H. ligniperda (present authors, unpublished data) and of the second H. ligniperda, I. sexdentatus, O. erosus and T. piniperda, while B. fungivorus has only been found in association with O. erosus (Arias et al 2005;Carletti et al 2008;Francardi et al 2008).…”

Bursaphelenchus fungivorus from Pinus pinaster bark in Portugal

“…from North Wales, infected by the fungus Botrytis cinerea (Franklin and Hooper 1962) and later in a growing medium containing bark for Pelargonium plants in a greenhouse in Germany (Braasch et al 1999a). and associated with Orthotomicus erosus in Spain (Arias et al 2004(Arias et al , 2005. Bursaphelenchus fungivorus was also reported on Pinus spp.…”

Acceptance and suitability of novel trees for Orthotomicus erosus, an exotic bark beetle in North America

“…Like most members of the Ipini, O. erosus is a secondary pest at low population levels and feeds primarily on freshly killed or dying trees. Adult O. erosus only switch to live trees when beetle densities are very high (Arias et al 2005). At the beginning of an invasion, populations of O. erosus may be too small to successfully mass-attack live trees, and we expect that the beetles would initially attack dead or dying trees.…”

“…Within its native and adventive ranges, O. erosus has been reported on many pines (Pinus spp.) (Arias et al 2005;Mendel and Halperin 1982;Wood and Bright 1992), and it may also utilize Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), oriental spruce (Picea orientalis (L.)), Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo Boiss.…”