Subspecies
No information has been entered yet.
Synonyms
No information has been entered yet.
Identification
No information has been entered yet.
Distribution
This species is native to eastern Asia, but is easily imported into other countries with
wood products or living ornamental trees. It is now established in the USA and is also reported
frequently from different European countries. In Germany, the species has been reported from
several locations, and measures for eradication have been taken, but their success is unclear.
Given the fact that the species successfully reproduces in the wild, the species is probably
already established in Germany.
Biology
The genome of the present species has been sequenced (
McKenna et al. 2016).
The draft genome sequence comprises about 22.000 genes, which is higher
than in the genomes of other sequenced beetle species.
As expected from its biology, the genome was found to contain a large
set of enzymes required for digesting wood polysaccharides, and in
addition a large number of proteinases and genes for detoxification that
help the species to survive plant defense systems, especially given its
large host plant range. Interstingly, many of these genes occurred in
gene clusters, suggesting recent gene duplications and
neofunctionalizations as an adaptation to the defensive arsenal of the
host plants. Furthermore, a few genes that were possibly acquired from
wood-decaying bacteria or fungi by horizontal gene transfer were also
discovered.