Illustrated keys for the identification of species and tribes of Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Tucumán Province, Argentina

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2026.97.5673

Keywords:

Bark beetles, Ambrosia beetles, South America, Tucumán, Distribution, Forestry

Abstract

The subfamily Scolytinae is recognized for comprising species of forestal, fruit, and ornamental importance due to their economic impact and their ecological role in regulating the plant populations with which they are associated. For Argentina, there are no keys for identifying the tribes and species; therefore, this work includes a key for identifying the tribes and 12 keys for identifying 56 species, as well as their distribution in South America and Argentina. Photographs of the general appearance and most important characteristics of each species are also included. 

References

Atkinson, T. H. (2017). Familia Curculionidae: Scolytinae y Platypodinae. En T. D. Cibrián (Ed.), Fundamentos de entomología forestal (pp. 269–278). Texcoco: Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo.

Atkinson, T. H. y Flechtmann, C. A. H. (2021). New species, new records and synonymy of Brazilian species of Hypothenemus Westwood, 1834 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Insecta Mundi, 846, 1–33. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4442.2.11

Atkinson, T. H. (2025). Bark and ambrosia beetles of the Americas. Recuperado el 21 marzo, 2025 de: http://www.barkbeetles.info

Bachman, A. O. y Lanteri, A. A. (2013). Catalog of the types of Curculionoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) deposited at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 'Bernardino Rivadavia', Buenos Aires. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, 15, 209–280. https://doi.org/10.22179/revmacn.15.183

Bosq, J. M. (1943). Segunda lista de coleópteros de la República Argentina dañinos a la agricultura (reedición de Ingeniería Agronómica, IV, 18–22, Buenos Aires 1942). Revista del Ministerio de Agricultura de la Nación, Dirección de Sanidad Vegetal, 4, 1–80.

Bruch, C. (1914). Catálogo sistemático de los coleópteros de la República Argentina, Pars VII. Revista del Museo de La Plata, 19, 401–441. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.8799

Córdoba, S. P. y Atkinson, T. H. (2018). New records of Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Argentina. The Coleopterists Bulletin, 72, 376–379. https://doi.org/10.1649/0010-065x-72.2.376

Córdoba, S. P., Mendoza, E. A., Atkinson T. H. y Manzo, M. V. (2021). Diversidad y dinámica poblacional de Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) en plantaciones de palto y bosque natural circundante en el NW de Argentina. Dugesiana, 28, 115–130. https://doi.org/10.32870/dugesiana.v28i2.7151

Córdoba, S. P., Atkinson, T. H. y Mendoza, E. A. (2023). Checklist of the subfamily Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Tucumán province, Argentina. Zootaxa, 5353, 501–532. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5353.6.1

Córdoba, S. P., Atkinson, T. H. y Mendoza, E. A. (2025). Listado preliminar de Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) de la provincia de Tucumán (adiciones y correcciones) y sus plantas hospedantes de Argentina. Dugesiana, 32, 13–38. https://doi.org/10.32870/dugesiana.v32i1.7357

Costilla, M. A. y Coronel, N. B. (1994). El taladillo de la semilla del palto Pagiocerus fiorii Eggers, 1940 (Bostrichus frontalis Fbricius, 1801) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Revista Industrial y Agrícola de Tucumán, 71, 63–68.

Flechtmann, C. A. H. y Cognato, A. I. (2011). First report of Amasa truncata (Erichson) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Brazil. Coleopterists Bulletin, 65, 417–421. https://doi.org/10.1649/072.065.0419

Gómez, D., Suárez, M. y Martínez, G. (2017a). Amasa truncata (Erichson) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae): A new exotic ambrosia beetle in Uruguay. Coleopterists Bulletin, 71, 825–826. https://doi.org/10.1649/0010-065x-71.4.825

Gómez, D., Irigoyen, A., Balmelli, G., Viera, C. y Martínez, G. (2017b). Patterns in flight phenologies of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) in commercial pine tree plantations in Uruguay. Bosque, 38, 47–53. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0717-92002017000100006

Hayward, K. J. (1960). Insectos tucumanos perjudiciales. Revista Industrial y Agrícola de Tucumán, 42, 3–144.

Hulcr, J., Atkinson, T. H., Cognato, A. I., Jordal, B. H. y McKenna, D. D. (2015). Morphology, taxonomy and phylogenetics of bark beetles En F. E. Vega y R. W. Hofstetter (Eds.), Bark beetles: biology and ecology of native and invasive species (pp. 41–84). New York: Species Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-417156-5.00002-2

Iturre, M. y Darchuck, E. (1996). Registro de escolítidos relacionados al género Eucalyptus en Santiago del Estero. Quebracho, 4, 11–16.

Johnson, A. J., Hulcr, J., Knížek, M., Atkinson, T. H., Mandelshtam, M. Y., Smith, S. M. et al. (2020). Revision of the bark beetle genera within the former Cryphalini (Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Insect Systematics and Diversity, 4, 1–81. https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixaa002

Jordal, B. H. y Smith, S. M. (2020). Scolytodes Ferrari (Coleoptera, Scolytinae) from Ecuador: 40 new species, and a molecular phylogenetic guide to infer species differences. Zootaxa, 4813, 1–67. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4813.1.1

Kirkendall, L. R. (2018). Invasive bark beetles (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) in Chile and Argentina, including two species new for South America, and the correct identity of the Orthotomicus species in Chile and Argentina. Diversity, 10, 2–20. https://doi.org/10.3390/d10020040

Kirkendall, L. R. y Jordal, B. H. (2006). Revision of the bark beetle genera within the former Cryphalini (Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Taxonomy, 4, 1–81.

Kirkendall, L. R., Biederman, P. H. W. y Jordal, B. H. (2015). Evolution and diversity of bark and ambrosia beetles. En F. E. Vega y R. W. Hofstetter (Eds.), Bark beetles: Biology and ecology of native and invasive species (pp. 85–156). Cambridge, USA: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-417156-5.00003-4

Knížek, M. y Smith, S. M. (2024). A new widely distributed invasive alien species of Amasa ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini). Zootaxa, 5403, 385–390. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5403.3.8

Landi, L., Gómez, D., Braccini, C. L, Pereyra, V. A., Smith, S. M. y Marvaldi, A. E. (2017). Morphological and molecular identification of the Invasive Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and its South American range extending into Argentina and Uruguay. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 110, 344–349. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/sax032

Lombardero, M. J. (1995). Plantas huésped y escolítidos (Col.: Scolytidae) en Galicia (noroeste de la península Ibérica). Boletín de Sanidad Vegetal. Plagas, 21, 357–370.

Martínez, M., Cognato, A. I., Guachambala, M. y Boivin, T. (2019). Bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) diversity in natural and plantation forests in Ecuador. Environmental Entomology, 48, 603–613. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvz037

Morris, J. L., Cottrell, S., Fettig, C. J., Hansen, W. D., Sherriff, R. L., Carter, V. A. et al. (2018). Managing bark beetle impacts on ecosystems and society: Priority questions to motivate future research. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 16, 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1754

Pérez-De la Cruz, M., Hernández-May, M. A., De la Cruz-Pérez, A. y Sánchez-Soto, S. (2016). Scolytinae y Platypodinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) de dos áreas de conservación en Tabasco, México. Biología Tropical, 64, 319–326. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v64i1.15931

Pérez-Silva, M., Equihua-Martínez, A., Atkinson, T. H., Romero-Nápoles, J. y López-Buenfil, J. A. (2021). Claves ilustradas para la identificación de géneros y especies de la tribu Xyleborini (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) de México. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad, 92, e923817. https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2021.92.3817

Petrov, A. V. (2017). New data on Scolytini Latreille, 1804, mainly from Peru, with description of two new species of Cnemonyx Eichhoff, 1868 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Koleopterologische Rundschau, 87, 325–334. https://doi.org/10.31857/s0367144523020119

Rainho, H. L., Silva, W. D., Leite, M. O. G. y Bento, J. M. S. (2018). Notes on the distribution of the exotic ambrosia beetle Amasa truncata (Erichson) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in southeastern Brazil. Coleopterists Bulletin, 72, 870–872. https://doi.org/10.1649/0010-065x-72.4.870

Santoro, F. H. (1966). Panorama entomológico relacionado con la Silvicultura y la tecnología forestal en la República Argentina. Revista Forestal Argentina, 10, 52–59.

Smith, S. M., Petrov, A. V. y Cognato, A. I. (2017). Beetles (Coleoptera) of Peru: a survey of the familie (Curculionidae: Scolytinae). The Coleopterists Bulletin, 71, 77–94. https://doi.org/10.1649/0010-065x-71.1.77

Smith, S. M. y Cognato, A. I. (2021). A revision of the Neotropical genus Coptoborus Hopkins (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae, Xyleborini). Zookeys, 1044, 609–720. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.144.62246

Viana, M. J. (1964). Datos ecológicos de Scolytidae argentinos (Coleoptera). Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina, 27, 119–130.

Wood, S. L. (2007). Bark and ambrosia beetles of South America (Coleoptera, Scolytidae). Monte L. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah: Bean Life Science Museum. https://doi.org/10.1134/s001387380902016x

Wood, S. L. (1982). The bark and ambrosia beetles of North and Central America (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), a Taxonomic Monograph. Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs, 6, 1–1359.

Wood, S. L. y Bright, D. E. (1992). A catalog of Scolytidae and Platypodidae (Coleoptera), Part 2: Taxonomic index, volumes A and B. Provo, Utah: Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs.

Published

2026-01-12

How to Cite

Córdoba, S. P., & Atkinson , T. H. . (2026). Illustrated keys for the identification of species and tribes of Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Tucumán Province, Argentina. Revista Mexicana De Biodiversidad, 97, e975673. https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2026.97.5673

Issue

Section

CONSERVACIÓN