Cryphalus mangiferae, the mango bark beetle, is a tiny tropical bark beetle which attacks mango trees (Mangifera indica). The species belongs to the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae. It is often cited as a vector of plant pathogenic fungi infecting mango trees and in some countries like Pakistan it is regarded as a serious threat to mango cultivation.[3]

Cryphalus mangiferae
Cryphalus mangiferae A, C, E, G, H female, B, D, F, H, I male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Curculionidae
Genus: Cryphalus
Species:
C. mangiferae
Binomial name
Cryphalus mangiferae
Stebbing, 1914[1][2]
Synonyms
  • Hypocryphalus mangiferae[1]

Distribution edit

C. mangiferae has been first described from India and is widely distributed in tropical regions, that is southern Asia, Oceania, Australia, Africa and Central/South America, including the Caribbean.[2][4] It is believed to be native to southern Asia and introduced into agricultural areas in other tropical regions. See the Bark and Ambrosia Beetles of North and Central America for a complete list of distribution records.

Biology edit

Like other members of the genus Cryphalus, the adults of C. mangiferae are tiny, only 1.6–2.2 mm long and about 2.2x longer than wide. C. mangiferae can be distinguished from other species of this genus "by the frons with a finely aciculate texture, the pronotal disc which is long, and has coarse hair-like setae, the elytral striae which are barely impressed but apparent by the rows without ground vestiture, and by the shape of ground vestiture which have tapered tips."[2] While mango is the most important host tree, infestations have been also recorded from other tree hosts in the family Anacardiaceae like Choerospondias axillaris.[2][4]

On mango, mainly stressed or diseased trees are attacked, less often healthy trees. The females lay eggs under the bark and these hatch after 4–5 days. The larvae feed under the inner bark, forming irregular galleries. There are 5 larval stages and the whole development from egg to adult is completed in about 4 weeks. After emerging from the pupae, the adults still spend about 2 weeks under the bark, during which time they mature, feed and complete the sclerotization of their cuticle. There are 3–4 overlapping generations per year.[5]

Disease transmission edit

Cryphalus mangiferae is often associated with wilting mango trees infected by species of plant-pathogenic fungi from the genus Ceratocystis.[6][5][3][7][8][9][10] Bark beetles are often vectors of plant diseases and have special structures for carrying symbiotic fungi called mycangia. The associated fungal disease has been called 'mango wilt' or 'mango sudden decline' and is found in Pakistan, Oman and Brazil.[8]

The symptoms of mango wilt have been described as branch death, wilting foliage and bark discoloration.[8] Mango trees may die from the disease within a few months.[9] The disease has been most frequently attributed to infections by the fungus Ceratocystis fimbriata, a common plant pathogen involved in diseases of various crops and trees. However, in Pakistan and Oman a new but closely related Ceratocystis species, Ceratocystis manginecans, has been described in 2007 as being associated with Cryphalus mangiferae and as the causal agent of mango wilt.[6] The phylogenetic relationship between Ceratocystis fimbriata, Ceratocystis manginecans and 3 other closely related species of Ceratocystis associated with mango diseases has been subsequently studied on more than 200 isolates. These studies suggested that mango wilt is caused by different genotypes of Ceratocystis fimbriata rather than a complex of closely related species.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Johnson, Andrew J.; Knížek, Miloš; Atkinson, Thomas H.; Jordal, Bjarte H.; Ploetz, Randy C.; Hulcr, Jiri (2017). "Resolution of a global mango and fig pest identity crisis". Insect Systematics and Diversity. 1 (2). doi:10.1093/isd/ixx010.
  2. ^ a b c d Johnson, Andrew J.; Li, You; Mandelshtam, Michail Yu.; Park, Sangwook; Lin, Ching-Shan; Gao, Lei; Hulcr, Jiri (2020). "East Asian Cryphalus Erichson (Curculionidae, Scolytinae): new species, new synonymy and redescriptions of species". ZooKeys (995 (art. 55981)). doi:10.3897/zookeys.995.55981.
  3. ^ a b Masood, Asad; Saeed, Shafqat; Erbilgin, Nadir; Kwon, Yong Jung (2010). "Role of stressed mango host conditions in attraction of and colonization by the mango bark beetle Hypocryphalus mangiferae Stebbing (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and in the symptom development of quick decline of mango trees in Pakistan". Entomological Research. 40 (6): 316–327. doi:10.1111/j.1748-5967.2010.00304.x.
  4. ^ a b "Cryphalus mangiferae Stebbing 1914 (introduced)". Bark and Ambrosia Beetles of North and Central America. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b Masood, Asad; Saeed, Shafqat; Sajjad, Asif; Ali, Mudssar (2009). "Life cycle and biology of mango bark beetle, Hypocryphalus mangiferae (Stebbing), a possible vector of mango sudden death disease in Pakistan" (PDF). Pakistan Journal of Zoology. 41 (4): 281–288.
  6. ^ a b van Wyk, Marelize; Al Adawi, Ali O.; Khan, Iqrar A.; Deadman, Michael L.; Al Jahwari, Abdullah. A.; Wingfield, Brenda D.; Ploetz, Randy; Wingfield, Michael J. (2007). "Ceratocystis manginecans sp. nov., causal agent of a destructive mango wilt disease in Oman and Pakistan" (PDF). Fungal Diversity. 27: 213–230.
  7. ^ Al Adawi, A.O.; Al Jabri, R.M.; Deadman, M.L.; Barnes, I.; Wingfield, B.; Wingfield, M.J. (2013). "The mango sudden decline pathogen, Ceratocystis manginecans, is vectored by Hypocryphalus mangiferae (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) in Oman". European Journal of Plant Pathology. 135 (2): 243–251. doi:10.1007/s10658-012-0081-7. hdl:2263/19760.
  8. ^ a b c d Oliveira, Leonardo S.S.; Harrington, Thomas C.; Ferreira, Maria A.; Damacena, Michelle B.; Al-Sadi, Abdullah M.; Al-Mahmooli, Issa H.S.; Alfenas, Acelino C. (2015). "Species or genotypes? Reassessment of four recently described species of the Ceratocystis wilt pathogen, Ceratocystis fimbriata, on Mangifera indica". Phytopathology. 105 (9): 1229–1244. doi:10.1094/PHYTO-03-15-0065-R.
  9. ^ a b da Silva Galdino, Tarcísio Visintin; Kumar, Sunil; Oliveira, Leonardo S.S.; Alfenas, Acelino C.; Neven, Lisa G.; Al-Sadi, Abdullah M.; Picanço, Marcelo C. (2016). "Mapping global potential risk of mango sudden decline disease caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata". PLoS ONE. 11 (7). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159450. e0159450.
  10. ^ da Silva Galdino, Tarcísio Visintin; de Oliveira Ferreira, Dalton; Santana Júnior, Paulo Antônio; de Paulo Arcanjo, Lucas; Aparecida Queiroz, Elenir; Almeida Sarmento, Renato; Coutinho Picanço, Marcelo (2017). "The role of the beetle Hypocryphalus mangiferae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the spatiotemporal dynamics of mango wilt". Journal of Economic Entomology. 110 (3): 865–874. doi:10.1093/jee/tox063.