Other Common Names
Sweetgum Bark Beetle, Sweetgum Ambrosia Beetle, Camphor Shoot Beetle
Explanation of Names
Cnestus mutilatus (Blandford 1894)
mutilatus = 'cut off'
Range
native to, and widespread in Asia, adventive in se. US (NC-FL-TX-AR)
(1); will likely spread over much of e. US (Schiefer & Bright 2004)
Food
polyphagous on hardwoods
(1); sweetgum (
Liquidamber styraciflua) is significantly more susceptible to attacks than
Carya, Acer, or
Liriodendron (Stone et al. 2007)
Remarks
Earliest record in our area: MS 1999
(2)
Recorded boring into and damaging plastic fuel reservoirs (Carlton & Bayless 2011)
"Riding lawn mower gasoline tank damaged by camphor shoot borer."
Print References
Carlton C., Bayless V. (2011) A case of
Cnestus mutilatus (Blandford) (Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini) females damaging plastic fuel storage containers in Louisiana, U.S.A. Col. Bull. 65: 290-291. (
Full text)
Schiefer T.L., Bright D.E. (2004)
Xylosandrus mutilatus (Blandford), an exotic ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini) new to North America. Col. Bull. 58: 431–438. (
Full text)
Stone W.D., Nebeker T.E., Gerard P.D. (2007) Host plants of
Xylosandrus mutilatus in Mississippi. Fla. Entomol. 90: 191-195. (
Full text)
