Citrus long-horned beetle
Long-horned beetle ( Anoplophora chinensis)
The long-horned beetle ( Anoplophora chinensis, also Chinese -horned, sometimes abbreviated CLB ) is a beetle that is native to various countries in Asia. There he infects about 100 different deciduous trees, mainly citrus plants. He is regarded as a tree pest, infested trees are severely damaged or die.
Dissemination
The long-horned beetle is found mainly in China, Korea and Japan. He is also found on Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines.
A. chinensis reached mainly by plant exports outside its main distribution area. In some cases, it is the Beetle managed to spread as neozoon. In Europe, the first free country infestations were recorded in Italy and 2003 in France 1997. The French infestation is considered to be eradicated. The citrus longhorn beetle was detected in imported plant shipments from Asia in several EU Member States and Switzerland, after 2004 in Germany, individual specimens in the wild. Mid-2009 were registered in Hesse finds.
The Julius Kühn Institute in 2011 asked the people to attention and report any bugs finds.
In the United States in 2001 there were a free- infestation in the State of Washington. The stove is also considered eradicated. Individual beetles were found in Georgia and Wisconsin.
In the European Community there is a mandatory reporting of infested trees and beetles found. The message should be sent to the competent plant protection services. The long-horned beetle is a so-called quarantine pests.
Biology
The citrus longhorn beetle is shiny black with irregular bright spots on the elytra, it is about 21 to 37 mm in size, the males slightly larger than the female. The antennae are long - the male which is about twice the body length - and black - light blue - striped. The pronotum has two bright spots. The larvae are legless and white to off-white, to 60 mm long and 10 mm thick. The prothorax has a brownish drawing. The egg resembles a grain of rice. It is 5-6 mm long and creamy white. Before hatching, it gets a yellowish- brown color.
The life cycle of a beetle is 12-24 months. The beetles hatch from April to August, in Italy from early June to August. The beetles bore their way out of above-ground or near-surface roots, butt ends and the stem base of the infested tree. Shortly after they begin feeding on leaves, petioles and bark of branches. The beetles live up to two months, they are primarily diurnal. About ten days after hatching, the female lays its own after fertilization up to 200 eggs. To this end, it cuts into the bark of root attempts, above-ground roots and the stem base with the mouthparts T- shaped slits or small funnel. In this one egg is laid in each case. Temperatures below 20 ° C reduce the number of eggs laid.
Within one to three weeks hatched about 5 mm wide young larva and eats first in the phloem under the bark. Then irregular larval galleries are eaten in the root timber, which is about 1.5 - 2 cm in diameter have. The gears go deep into the wood, they lead to an interruption of juice flow and weaken the strength of the wood. After a development time of about one to two years (depending on climatic conditions ), the larva pupates within the roots or root attempts. The pupal stage lasts four to six weeks. With the hatching of the beetle, a new life cycle begins.
In Germany, the beetle has no natural enemies. For possible predators it is too large or tank is too hard for native birds in Germany.
Accruals
The formerly regarded as independent species A. chinensis and A. malasiaca were indeed summarized in 2002 to a kind, but can be differentiated by molecular biology. During the Asian long-horned beetle ( A. glabripennis ) the citrus longhorn beetle resembles only strong, egg, larva and pupa of the same two species so that they can be distinguished only by molecular biology.
Swell
- Newsletter of the Julius Kühn Institute (PDF, 417 kB)
- Eradication program in Lombardy