Xylosandrus morigerus


Xylosandrus morigerus is a species of weevil widespread throughout Afrotropical, Australian, Neotropical, Oceania and Oriental regions. It is also introduced to Palearctic regional countries.

Distribution

It is native to Gabon, Madagascar, Mauritius, Zaire, Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysian Peninsula, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Galapagos Islands, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Tobago, Venezuela, Fiji islands, Hawaii, Micronesia, Samoa, and Tonga. It is also found in Austria, Czech republic, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Jordan and Lebanon as an exotic species.

Description

Body length of the female ranges from 1.5 to 2.0 mm. Body light to dark brown. Antennae and legs are yellowish brown. Antennea with 5 funicular segments and obliquely truncate club. Pronotal vestiture is semi-appressed and with hairy setae. Pronotal base covered with a dense patch of short erect setae that resemble a pronotal-mesonotal mycangium. Pronotal disc is moderately punctate. Pronotum consists with lateral costa and carina. Protibiae with 4 socketed teeth, whereas mesotibiae with 8 to 10 and metatibiae with 10 socketed teeth. In elytra, discal striae and interstriae uniseriate are punctate. Declivital elytral face is convex, steep and abruptly separated from disc.

Biology

The species shows successful inbreeding. Mating occurs between siblings and before dispersal, which assures successful insemination of most dispersing females. Females that are not inseminated by a brother called haplodiploid, can potentially mate with a haploid son produced from unfertilized eggs before leaving the nest. The genetic variation suggests that outbreeding is extremely rare in the species.
A polyphagous species, it is found in many plants. It shows a tight symbiosis with ambrosia fungi such as Ambrosiella and occasionally other imperfect ascomycete fungi.

Host plants

Acacia gaumeriAcalyphaActinophora fragransAdenanthera pavoninaAlbizia glaucaAlbizia proceraAlseis yucatanensisAltingia excelsaArthrophyllum diversifoliumAmomumAspidospermaAstronium graveolensBixa orellanaBoehmeriaBrideliaBrosimum alicastrumBursera simarubaButea monospermaCalamus caesiusCalophyllum brasilienseCamellia sinensisCassia multijugaCastanea argenteaCastanopsisCattleyaCedrela odorataCecropia obtusifoliaCeiba pentandraCentrosema plumieriChrysophyllum cainitoCinchona Claoxylon polotClidemia hirtaCocos nuciferaCoffea arabicaCoffea excelsaCoffea libericaCola acuminataCordia dodecandraCrotalaria anagyroidesCrotalaria usaramoensisDalbergia latifoliaDendrobium phalaenopsisDendrobium superbumDendrobium veratrifoliumDerris microphyllaDidymopanax Dryobalanops oblongifoliaEndospermum diadenumEpidendrum stamfordianumErythrina lithospermaErythroxylum novogranatenseEsenbeckia pentaphyllaEupatorium pallescensEusideroxylon zwageriFalcataria moluccanaFicus ampelosFlemingia strobiliferaFreycinetia hombroniFuchsiaGlochidionGrewia laevigataGynotroches onilarisHevea brasiliensisIntsia palembanicaLecythisLeucaena glaucaLicania hypoleucaLonicera caprifoliumMacaranga Machaerium cirrhiferumMarumia muscosaMelia azedarachMiconia trinerviaMitrella kentiiOchroma lagopusPersea gratissimaPhalaenopsis Pometia pinnataPouteria sapotaQuararibea Renanthera storieiRubroshorea leprosulaSambucus javanicaSchizolobium parahybaSchleichera oleosaSerjaniaSpondias mombinSwietenia macrophyllaSwietenia mahagoniSyzygium polyanthumTabebuia roseaTarenna incertaTectona grandisTephrosia maximaTephrosia vogeliiThea sinensisTheobroma cacaoTerminalia amazoniaTrema micranthaTrema orientalisVanda coeruleaVanda teresVanda tricolor