{"id":1074,"date":"2025-06-08T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kharkivlisozahyst.gov.ua\/en\/novyny\/190-anoplophora-chinensis-citrus-longhorned-beetle\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T11:53:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T09:53:24","slug":"190-anoplophora-chinensis-citrus-longhorned-beetle","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.kharkivlisozahyst.gov.ua\/en\/news\/190-anoplophora-chinensis-citrus-longhorned-beetle\/","title":{"rendered":"Anoplophora chinensis \u2013 Citrus Longhorned Beetle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anoplophora chinensis (Forster, 1771) \u2013 a species of beetle from the subfamily Lamiinae of the longhorn beetle family (Cerambycidae), known as the citrus longhorned beetle or citrus long-horned beetle. This invasive species poses a serious threat to forestry and agriculture in many regions of the world.<\/p>\n

1. Systematics and Description<\/p>\n

Taxonomy of the species includes: Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Arthropoda, Class: Insecta, Order: Coleoptera, Family: Cerambycidae, Subfamily: Lamiinae, Genus: Anoplophora, Species: Anoplophora chinensis. The species includes two subspecies: Anoplophora chinensis chinensis (nominate subspecies) and Anoplophora chinensis malasiaca.<\/p>\n

Morphology<\/p>\n

Adults have a body length of 22\u201340 mm, black or dark brown coloration with white or bluish spots on the elytra. Characteristic features: smooth, shiny elytra with a granular structure at the base, long antennae (exceeding body length in males), pronotum with an uneven surface and spines on the sides.<\/p>\n

Eggs are oval, white or cream-colored, about 5 mm in size. Larvae reach up to 45 mm in length, white or yellowish in color, with powerful mandibles adapted for gnawing wood. The pupa develops inside the wood, chewing an exit hole before the adult emerges.<\/p>\n

2. Distribution<\/p>\n

Native range includes East Asia (China, including Taiwan, Korea, Japan) and Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia). The species actively spreads with wood material (packaging, saplings) to other regions: Europe (Italy, Germany, Netherlands), North America (USA), Oceania (Australia).<\/p>\n

3. Ecology and Biology<\/p>\n

Larvae develop in living trees, preferring citrus (orange, lemon), maples (Acer spp.), willows (Salix spp.), poplars (Populus spp.), birches (Betula spp.). Over 40 species of host plants have been recorded.<\/p>\n

Life Cycle<\/p>\n

Egg: Female lays eggs in bark crevices.
\n Larva: Develops for 1\u20132 years, tunneling through wood.
\n Pupa: Forms in a wooden chamber.
\n Adult: Emerges through a round exit hole (10\u201315 mm in diameter).<\/p>\n

Natural Enemies<\/p>\n

Nematodes: Steinernema feltiae (parasitizes larvae).
\n Fungi: Beauveria bassiana, B. brongniartii (infect adults).
\n Predatory insects: Some species of wasps and beetles.<\/p>\n

4. Economic Importance<\/p>\n

In China, it’s one of the main pests of citrus plantations. In Europe and the US, it threatens forest areas and urban plantings. Control measures include quarantine control of wood materials, pheromone traps for monitoring, biological control (nematodes, fungi) and mechanical destruction of infected trees.<\/p>\n

References<\/p>\n

BioLib \u2013 Taxon profile \u2013 species Anoplophora chinensis (link: https:\/\/www.biolib.cz\/)
\n University of Florida IFAS \u2013 Anoplophora chinensis (link: https:\/\/entnemdept.ufl.edu\/)
\n EPPO Global Database \u2013 Quarantine Pest Data Sheets (link: https:\/\/gd.eppo.int\/)<\/p>\n

*(Material partially based on a Wikipedia article distributed under CC BY-SA 3.0 license.)*<\/p>\n