Galleries of Phloeocleptus plagiatus Wood in avocado branch. Uruápan, Michoacán, Mexico. T.H. Atkinson.
Bark and Ambrosia Beetles. Bark beetles and ambrosia beetles form a large group of small wood-boring beetles that bore into trees, shrubs and vines in all forest and shrub habitats throughout the world, from deserts to rain forests. A wide variety of hosts are used. The best known species are destructive pests of coniferous forests, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. Other species may be pests of ornamental, fruit, and forest trees. Some of these are vectors of serious fungal diseases. Most species are not considered economically important. The group is very diverse in terms of life cycles, host plants interactions and behavior.
Taxonomically bark and ambrosia beetles comprise the subfamilies Scolytinae (6,525 species worldwide) and Platypodinae (1,331 species worldwide) in the family Curculionidae (weevils and relatives).
Geographic Coverage. This site is dedicated to the bark and ambrosia beetles of the Americas. Information presented here is based on a database that includes 75,683 collection records for 3,561 species from the Americas (3,288 Scolytinae, 273 Platypodinae). At present, information on species from the North, Central, and South America is complete. Information from Bright's (2019) monograph on Caribbean species has not been completely incorporated, but all taxonomic information is included. Host and distribution records are taken from 698 articles, monographs, and other databases. Numerous unpublished records are also included. At present this information is accessible via geographically restricted regions selected by users. The default setting is the entire Americas, unless restricted by the user.
Geographical selections can be accessed hrough several different indices. For each species, information on synonyms, host plants, distribution, images, and distribution maps is presented where available.
Image Library. An image library includes 31,151 photographs and line drawings for 3,228 species from North, Central, and South America. These come from a wide variety of published and unpublished sources. The Image Library also includes numerous photographs of species from other regions (2,609 images of 452 species). Additional images from others are welcomed. Please contact me for details.
Disclaimer. Almost by definition, this site and associated pages will always be a work in progress. Users should be aware that there is always a time lag between new publications and incorporation of that information here. Once the information is posted, I can't control how viewers use it. I would strongly suggest that the information not be quoted without contacting me. The posted information may not be the most current. Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, and suggestions. Inevitably in a project of this size there will be errors of all sorts, so let me know if you come across any. Many of these errors do not become apparent until groups of records are summarized, tabulated or mapped.