First record of the grape cane borer, Amphicerus bimaculatus (Olivier, 1790)(Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), on pomegranate in Greece

Abstract

Pomegranate, Punica granatum L., is a deciduous fruit tree cultivated in Greece since ancient times for both nutritional and medicinal purposes. The main regions where pomegranates are cultivated include the Aegean Islands, Crete, the Peloponnese, Central Greece, and Central Macedonia (Pontikis, 1987). Traditionally, pomegranates were cultivated more for household use than commercial use. However, in recent years cultivation of pomegranates has gained more and more importance in terms of economic significance. In recent years, new plantations have been established in several areas, mainly in the regions of East and Central Macedonia, covering a total area of more than 1500 ha (Drogoudi et al., 2012). Nevertheless, relatively little is known about the pests of pomegranates in Greece (Tsagkarakis, 2012).Within a pomegranate orchard in the area of Vrontou (42°11′N, 22°26′E) of Central Macedonia (northern Greece) (Figure 1), we observed in April 2011 several unhealthy trees with most of their branches having red discolored leaves. Moreover, round holes (about 0.3-0.4 cm in diameter) and packed frass or bore dust were visible at the base of these branches near the buds (Figure 2A). Samples of these branches were collected and placed in plastic bags (50 × 50 cm), which were afterwards shipped or carried to the laboratory within 2 h. In order to avoid exposure to high temperatures, plastic bags were carried in a cooler (approximately 15 °C). A layer of newspaper was used to prevent direct contact of the plastic bags with the ice packs at the bottom of the cooler. As soon as they were transferred to the laboratory, they were placed into ventilated wooden cages (30 × 30 × 30 cm) at 25 ± 1 °C and 70 ± 10% relative humidity, with a photoperiod of 16:8 h (L:D). Examination of the branches under a microscope revealed that the branches were infested by adults of an unrecognized beetle species forming galleries inside the bark. These specimens were subsequently identified, based on morphological characteristics, as the grape cane borer, Amphicerus bimaculatus (Olivier, 1790). This is the first record of A. bimaculatus attacking pomegranate trees in Greece. So far A. bimaculatus was reported only on grapes in Greece (Navrozidis and Andreadis, 2012).The grape cane borer is a univoltine species. Adults are 1.1-1.8 cm long, cylindrical, and uniformly black or brownish black, with the antennae, palpi, and tarsi brownish or brownish yellow (Figures 2B and 2C) (Navrozidis and Andreadis, 2012). The head is relatively small and completely covered by the large pronotum. The basal half of the pronotal lateral margins are covered with Abstract: Discoloration of the leaves of unhealthy pomegranate trees, caused by the Coleopteran species Amphicerus bimaculatus (Olivier, 1790), was found in a newly planted pomegranate orchard in April 2011 in northern Greece (Vrontou area). Identification of the species was based on morphological characteristics. This report is the first record of A. bimaculatus in Greece infesting pomegranate trees.

An annotated synopsis of the powder post beetles of Iran (Coleoptera: Bostrichoidea: Bostrichidae)

“…These coefficients ignore the different areas and climates of the countries and should be treated only as an indication of affinity. In recent years, more instances of bostrichids as pests have been reported from the Mediterranean area (Kinawy et al 1991;Helal & El-sebay 1994;Bonsignore 2012;Bento 2015;Andreadis et al 2016), and more species of forest trees are being attacked (Akşit et al 2005;Mifsud et al 2012;Buse et al 2013;Luna Murillo & Obregón 2013;Sarikaya 2013;Kollár 2014). The similarity of the Iranian fauna to that of the Mediterranean area suggests that more pest problems due to bostrichids can be expected in Iran in the future.…”

Determination of Harmful Insect Species in Zivzik Pomegranate Production Areas of Siirt Province

“…Besides, various studies have reported the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) (Tephritidae), which can cause serious damage to the pomegranate from time to time and can become an important pest under certain conditions (Holland et al, 2009;Braham, 2015). In addition by Andreadis et al, (2016) Coleopteran species Amphicerus bimaculatus (Olivier, 1790) had been reported in a newly planted pomegranate orchard.…”

First record of the invasive species Parasaissetia nigra in Greece

“…The main insect pests of pomegranate in Greece are: the pomegranate aphid, Αphis punicae (Passerini) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), the grape cane borer beetle, Amphicerus bimaculatus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae), the flatheaded woodborer, Capnodis tenebrionis (L.) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), the woolly whitefly, Aleurothrixus floccosus (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and the ash whitefly, Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday) (Drogoudi et al 2012, Tsagkarakis 2012, Andreadis et al 2016.…”