Amphicerus bimaculatus (Oliver)
(Also known as Schistocerus bimaculatus Oliver).
Systematic position: Insecta, Holometabola, Coleoptera, Bostrychidae.
Common name: Grape cane borer.
Host plants: Several trees, including Acacia spp., almond, apple, Cerasus sp., Citrus spp., Ficus spp., grape, Pomegranate and Tamarix spp.
Geographic distribution: This species ranges from south-eastern and eastern Europe to the Mediterranean countries, including the Mediterranean islands.
Morphology: The body of both sexes is black, about 9-12 mm in length. The elytra are grey-black with randomly placed brown strands; the legs are brown. There are two grey spots on the anterior margin of the pronotum, each with 2 black spots. The larva is about 15 cm long, mostly yellow-white, head and pronotum brown, thorax very broad and strong.
Life history: The adults occur from midsummer to spring. The larvae initially bore galleries into young green branches, especially those of grapes. Later such branches may dry up and die and the larvae pupate therein.
Economic importance: This beetle develops only in young, weak, unhealthy and dead wood of many tree species. It may cause leaf discoloration and sometimes heavy damage to young grape and pomegranate branches and thus to the yield.
Management
Horticultural methods: Sanitation, by removing and burning all pruned branches.
Biological control: The predatory beetle Denops albofasciatus (Charpentier) (Cleridae) preys on the grape cane borer, but its effect has not been determined.
References
Casilli, O., 1970. Danni alle viti dal bostrichide Schistocerus bimaculatus. Informatore Fitopatologico 20: 10-11.
Gerstmeier, R., Halperin, J. and Chekatunov, V. 1999. An annotated list of Cleridae and Thanerocleridae (Coleoptera) of Israel. Phytoparasitica 27: 27-33.
Halperin, J. and Damoiseau, R. 1980. The bostrychid beetles (Coleoptera) of Israel. Israel Journal of Entomology 14: 47–53.
Moleas, T. 1988. Epidemiological observations on Sinoxylon Sexdentatum Oliv. and Amphicerus (=Schistoceros) bimaculatus Oliv. (Coleoptera Bostrychidae) on grape vine in Apulia [Italy]. Informatore fitopatologico 38: 55–58.
Stefanos, S., Andreadis, S.S., Navrozidis, E.I. and Katerinis, S. 2016. First record of the grape cane borer, Amphicerus bimaculatus (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), on pomegranate in Greece. Turkish Journal of Zoology 40: 286-289.
Talhouk, A.M. 2002. Insects and Mites injurious to Crops in Middle Eastern Countries. 2nd Edition. American University of Beirut Press, 269 pp.
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