Transportation of phytopathogenic fungi by the bark beetle Ips sexdentatus boerner and associated mites

Abstract

The bark beetle Ips sexdentatrds carries several types of conidiospores and ascopores in the pronotal punctures located around the setae on the sides of the pronotum. For swarming beetles, some of the spores seem to be germinating. Nine species of mites were phoretic on swarming Ips sexdentutus in France. Hypophoretic on these mites were 16 morphologically distinct types of fungal ascopores and conidia, but lesser kinds of spore types were seen on the beetles. Although the spores seemed to stick anywhere on the mites, masses of spores were concentrated in punctures on the sides of the beetle pronota. Ascospores of Ophiostoma brunneo-ciliataun were the most common ascospores both on the mites and the beetle, but ascospores of the potentially pathogenic 0. minus were present on five mite species.

Citation

Levieux, J.; Lieutier, F.; Moser, John C.; Perry, Thelma J. 1989. Transportation of phytopathogenic fungi by the bark beetle Ips sexdentatus boerner and associated mites. J. Appl. Ent. Vol. 108: 1-11