First report on Chrysobothris mali infesting pear fruits
Chrysobothris mali (Coleoptera: Buprestidae, EPPO A1 List) is a polyphagous buprestid originating in North America. It is considered as a wood borer pest as larvae tunnel galleries and feed primarily in the phloem and cambium (inner bark) and the sapwood (outer wood).
A recent article mentions the first report of larvae of C. mali feeding on pear fruits. In August 2023, numerous larvae were retrieved from pear fruits in four orchards in Kelseyville, Lake County, California (USA). Surveys were conducted in 2024 in three pear growing regions of Lake County, and damage on pear fruit was recorded only in the region of Kelseyville in five organic orchards located within a 1 km radius of the original finding in 2023.
Nine infested pear fruits were maintained in the laboratory from September 2023 to July 2024 and one adult emerged, demonstrating that pear fruit are suitable for C. mali larvae to complete their development. Further research is needed to better understand the change in larval host behavior, and verify if larvae can survive the winter orchard environment and quantify the rate of adult emergence from infested pear fruit in the orchard.
This finding may have implications for the pest risk analysis for Chrysobothris mali, as it identifies a new potential pathway for movement of the pest (with pear fruit in addition to plants for planting and wood), and potential impact may be higher if the pest can damage pear fruit production.
Sources
Kron CR, Murillo AD, Gonçalves CG, Zoller BG, Addesso K, Klingeman WE, Moulton JK (2025) DNA barcoding helps establish a novel host-plant association for Chrysobothris mali Horn, 1886 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) larvae found infesting Pyrus communis L.‘Bartlett’(Rosaceae) fruit in Lake County, California orchards. The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 101(3), 262-272.