Jewels on the go: exotic buprestids around the world (Coleoptera, Buprestidae)

By

Ruzzier, Enrico
Haack, Robert A.
Curletti, Gianfranco
Roques, Alain
Volkovitsh, Mark
Battisti, Andrea

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

84

Pages

107--135

Subjects

Biodiversity , Exotic species , invasive alien species , jewel beetles

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.84.90829

 

Abstract

Buprestidae (Coleoptera: Buprestoidea) is one of the three wood-borer beetle groups of major phytosanitary interest worldwide, together with Cerambycidae and Scolytinae (Curculionidae). As in other beetle families, some buprestid species have been unintentionally or intentionally introduced around the world, in some cases causing significant environmental and economic damage in the invaded territories. Despite the phytosanitary relevance of the Buprestidae, information regarding the identity of exotic buprestids, their biogeographic areas of origin, introduction pathways, and larval host plants, have remained scattered in the literature. Our objective was to summarize much of the existing knowledge on these topics in the present paper. Our analysis resulted in a list of 115 exotic buprestids worldwide, representing introductions both within and between biogeographic realms and corresponding to less than 1% of the known buprestid species worldwide. Invasiveness does not seem to be linked to their larval host plant preferences, as introduced species utilize 158 plant genera in 70 plant families and are equally represented in all feeding guilds (monophagous, oligophagous, and polyphagous). As trade of plants or plant parts can serve as a pathway for future introductions, the information reported in this review can help in pest risk assessment.