Amasa parviseta, a new invasive species of ambrosia beetle
The genus Amasa (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) currently contains 47 species distributed in tropical Asia and Oceania. One exotic Amasa species first trapped in a Eucalyptus grandis plantation in São Paulo (Brazil) was initially identified as A. truncata in 2011, but it was later shown that it was a morphologically similar but different species, temporarily identified as ‘Amasa near truncata’. This species further spread in South America: Minas Gerais in Brazil in 2015, Uruguay (Tacuarembó) in 2015, Chile (Valparaíso) in 2016, and Argentina in 2018.
The species was also trapped in Spain in 2009 (identified as Amasa resecta), as well as in Southern France in 2018 and in Portugal in 2019 (EPPO RS 2021/157, RS 2023/045). The DNA barcoding of a French specimen showed that was identical to an undetermined Amasa species from New South Wales (Australia) which suggested that the species is native to Australia.
Knížek and Smith (2024) have formally described this new species and named it Amasa parviseta. In Australia, it occurs in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and Queensland. Specimens were collected from Eucalyptus piperita and Eucalyptus leaf litter in Australia, and from Eucalyptus in Chile, Uruguay and France. All other known specimens were collected in traps located in areas where Pinus and Eucalyptus were present.
This example underlines the need to support taxonomic research in entomology and other areas of plant health, as accurate identification of species is crucial to be able to identify potential threats.
Sources
Knížek M, Smith SM (2024) A new widely distributed invasive alien species of Amasa ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini). Zootaxa 5403(3), 385-390.