A Review of the Ecology and Management of Black Turpentine Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

The black turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus terebrans Olivier is the largest pine-infesting bark beetle native to the southern and eastern United States. It generally reproduces in fresh stumps and bases of trees weakened or killed by other biotic or abiotic agents, although it can also infest and sometimes kills apparently healthy trees. Its numbers can build when large amounts of host material become available (typically through a disturbance), and black turpentine beetle-caused mortality at a local scale can become considerable. Here, we provide a complete review of the literature on this species, including its taxonomy, host, life history, chemical ecology, arthropod and microbial associates, and management options. We also provide original data on numbers of instars, acoustic signals, and pheromone chirality in this species. Our survey of the existing literature revealed that key biological characteristics of black turpentine beetles are known, but interactions with closely associated organisms, economic and ecological impacts, and improvements to monitoring and management practices have been only partially investigated.

4‐allylanisole as a lure adjuvant for Dendroctonus frontalis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and two associated beetles

“…Dendroctonus frontalis and sympatric D. terebrans often share the same host trees, but they exploit different portions and likely compete minimally (Nebeker, 2011). Selection of the same trees is likely mediated in part by shared or cross‐attractive pheromone components (frontalin and endo ‐brevicomin from D. frontalis , and frontalin and exo ‐brevicomin from D. terebrans ) (Munro et al, 2019; Payne et al, 1987; Phillips et al, 1989; Sullivan, 2016) and host odours attractive to both species ( alpha ‐pinene, beta ‐pinene and 4‐allylanisole) (Munro et al, 2020). In experiment 1, responses of both D. terebrans and D. frontalis increased in a similar dose‐dependent manner when 4‐allylanisole was added to bark beetle pheromone components and alpha ‐pinene.…”

“…This combination was used to attract all three beetle species of interest. Frontalin is the major attractive pheromone component for D. frontalis and D. terebrans and an attractive kairomone for T. dubius , and both endo ‐ and exo ‐brevicomin are pheromone components for D. frontalis and D. terebrans , respectively, that can be attraction enhancers for both species (Munro et al, 2019; Sullivan, 2016).…”

“…The black turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus terebrans (Olivier), is a pine‐infesting associate of D. frontalis that shares some pheromone components (Payne et al, 1987; Phillips et al, 1989), and these species often colonize the same trees (Nebeker, 2011). However, D. terebrans is infrequently a primary tree killer and does not mass‐attack (Munro et al, 2019). These sympatric species may play mutually supportive roles in locating suitable hosts and overcoming host resistance (Sullivan, 2016), and joint attacks and other interactions may be mediated by their respective responses to pheromone components and host‐associated semiochemicals.…”

Arthropods and Fire Within the Biologically Diverse Longleaf Pine Ecosystem

“…For example, the black turpentine beetle D . terebrans has 36 associated mites ( Munro et al 2019 ), many of which presumably are also found on D. terebrans in the LLPE. In general, arthropods may be predators, parasitoids, competitors, commensals, symbionts, and more in their interactions with other arthropods.…”

Predicting multi-species bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) occurrence in Alaska: First use of open access big data mining and open source GIS to provide robust inference and a role model for progress in forest conservation

“…Bark beetles also serve as major prey species for many insectivores, particularly for woodpeckers (Bonnot et al 2009;Saab et al 2014). In addition, bark beetles have fascinating ecological relationships with various fungal species (Munro et al 2019).…”