Euwallacea perbrevis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), a confirmed pest on Acacia crassicarpa in Riau, Indonesia, and a new fungal symbiont; Fusarium rekanum sp. nov.

Abstract

Non-native Acacia plantations in Indonesia were first reported to be infested by a native ambrosia beetle species, identified as Euwallacea fornicatus in 1993. Recently the level of infestation in these plantations by ambrosia beetles has steadily increased. The recent redefinition of the taxonomic parameters of the Euwallacea fornicatus species complex has resulted in the identity of the ambrosia beetle species in these plantations becoming unclear. This is also true for their obligate fungal associates. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the ambrosia beetle species, as well as its corresponding fungal associate/s, infesting Acacia crassicarpa plantations in Riau, Indonesia. Morphological identification and phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) gene, revealed that the beetles are E. perbrevis, previously a synonym of E. fornicatus and commonly referred to as the Tea Shot Hole Borer A (TSHBa). Multi-locus phylogenetic analyses of the fungal associate of E. perbrevis revealed a Fusarium sp. that is among members of the Ambrosia Fusarium Clade (AFC), but that is genetically distinct from other previously identified Fusarium symbionts of Euwallacea species. This novel fungal species is described here as Fusarium rekanum sp. nov.