Species Diversity, Phenology, and Temporal Flight Patterns of Hypothenemus Pygmy Borers (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in South Florida.
Hypothenemus are some of the most common and diverse bark beetles in natural as well as urban habitats, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Despite their ecological success and ubiquitous presence, very little is known about the habits of this genus. This study aimed to understand species diversity and daily and seasonal trends in host-seeking flight patterns of Hypothenemus in a suburban environment by systematic collections with ethanol baiting over a 15-mo period in South Florida. A total of 481 specimens were collected and identified as eight species, most of them nonnative. Hypothenemus formed the overwhelming majority of bark beetles (Scolytinae) collected, confirming the dominance of the genus in urban environments. Hypothenemus brunneus (Hopkins) and Hypothenemus seriatus (Eichhoff) were most abundant, comprising 74% of the capture. Rarefaction showed that the sample was sufficient to characterize the local diversity and composition. The seasonal pattern in Hypothenemus capture was positively correlated to day-time temperature, not to season as in most temperate Scolytinae. Another significant observation in the community dynamics was the synchronized occurrence of two common species (H. birmanus and H. javanus), unrelated to season. Hypothenemus were predominantly diurnal with a broad flight window. Females flew as early as 11:00 hours (EDST), with peak flight occurring at 15:00 hours, significantly earlier than flight patterns of most other Scolytinae. Surprisingly, male Hypothenemus were frequently collected, despite their lack of functional wings. Several potential explanations are discussed. This is the first study into the ecology of an entire community of the twig-feeding Hypothenemus.
1School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (andrewjavanjohnson@gmail.com; skelto3@gmail.com; hulcr@ufl.edu).
Andrew J
AJ
Johnson
2USDA-ARS, Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, Miami, FL 33158 (paul.kendra@ars.usda.gov).
Paul E
PE
Kendra
1School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (andrewjavanjohnson@gmail.com; skelto3@gmail.com; hulcr@ufl.edu).
James
J
Skelton
1School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (andrewjavanjohnson@gmail.com; skelto3@gmail.com; hulcr@ufl.edu).|4Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.
Jiri
J
Hulcr
bark beetle; circadian; diurnal; diversity; phenology