New Area Records and New Hosts of Ambrosiodmus minor (Stebbing) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Mainland China

Abstract

Based on recent field collections of bark and ambrosia beetles from southern and eastern China, we discovered two specimens of Ambrosiodmus minor (Stebbing) that represent new records of this species. One specimen was found from an unidentified dying tree on 10 August 2017 in Zijinshan, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. The other was collected from a peeled Chinese cinnamon tree, Cinnamomum cassia (L.) (Lauraceae), on 28 March 2018 in Malu, Dongxing, Guangxi Province. Both specimens were collected by YL and identified by direct comparison with specimens collected in Gainesville, FL, USA. Following the discovery of A. minor in China, additional study of the unpublished specimens in the collection of the National Zoological Museum of China, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Science (IOZ, CAS), Beijing, China was conducted. Thirty-four specimens previously identified byHuifen Yin as A. minor were found: 20♀, IOZ(E)769383769400, IOZ(E)859920-859921, Yunnan: Kunming, alt. 1,870m, 1982.VII.30, host: Salix sp.; 5♀, IOZ(E) 769401-769405, Yunnan: Qiubei, alt. 1,880 m, 1980.IV.21, Fanjie ZENG leg., host: Toxicodendron sp.; 1♀, IOZ(E)769407, Yunnan: Xishuangbanna, Menghai, alt. 1,200–1,600 m, 1958.VII.26, Shuyong WANG leg.; 1♀, IOZ(E)769408, Yunnan: Jingdong, alt. 1,170m, 1956.VI.18, KRYZHANOVSKIJ O. leg.; 2♀, IOZ(E)769411-769412, Yunnan: Mengla, alt. 620–650m, 1959.VI.2, Suofu LI leg.; 1♀, IOZ(E)769413, Yunnan: Xishuangbanna, Meng’a, alt. 1,050–1,080m, 1938.VIII.11, Fuji PU leg.; 2♀, IOZ(E)769381-769382, Sichuan: Chengdu, alt. 570m, 1960.VI.8, host: Salix sp.; 1♀, IOZ(E)769410, Chongqing: Beibei, 1945.IX.5; 1♀, IOZ(E)769409, Zhejiang: Hangzhou, 1981.V, GuangwuLI leg., host: Pinus massoniana. Ambrosiodmus minor can be distinguished from other species of Ambrosiodmus Hopkins by the body length of at least 3.5 mm, the smooth elytral declivital interstriae with irregular tubercles (never granulate), and the approximately equally sized tubercles on interstriae 1–3. It is similar to Ambrosiodmus lewisi (Blandford) except the tubercles on interstriae 2 are larger than those on interstriae 1 and 3. Gomez et al. (2018) further describe the differences between A. minor and A. lewisi. The previously recorded range of A. minor in Asia is Bangladesh, Bhutan, East Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan), India, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam (Wood and Bright 1992; Beaver and Liu 2010; Beaver et al. 2014). Our records from mainland China considerably broaden the known range of this species in Asia into non-tropical regions (Fig. 1). Ambrosiodmus minorwas recently introduced into North America, where it was first detected in Florida, USA, on 31