The ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus andrewesi is widely distributed throughout the Old World tropics (Browne 1961). It is not native to the New World, but has been reported from Hawaii (Cognato & Rubinoff 2008), Cuba (Bright &Skidmore 2002), and Jamaica (Wood & Bright 1992). We report it for the first time from the United States, based on a collection in North Ft. Myers, Lee County, Florida.
Thirty-four beetles were reared from a section of a branch taken from sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.). Voucher specimens are deposited in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods, Gainesville, Florida.
Xyleborinus andrewesi is a small, dark red-dish-brown, elongate-cylindrical beetle about 2 mm long. It is easily distinguished from the 2 other Florida species of Xyleborinus by the subacuminate elytra and rows of numerous strong, acuminate tubercles on the first and third interstriae (Fig. 1).
Xyleborinus andrewesi is not host-specific (Beaver & Browne 1975). Only 1 host is currently confirmed from the U.S., Annona squamosa L. (sugar apple, custard apple, sweetsop), which is a new family host record for Annonaceae. However, Xyleborinus andrewesi has been recorded from 59 hosts in 29 families worldwide (Beeson 1941; Browne 1961; Schedl 1962; Wood & Bright 1992).
Also reared from the same wood were 4 other scolytines, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) and Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratzeburg) (both introduced Asian species), and Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff and Hypothenemus squamosus (Hopkins) (both native species).
Xyleborinus andrewesi has been recorded previously (Wood & Bright 1992) from: Andaman Islands, Bangladesh, Burma, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaya, Micronesia, Nepal, New Guinea, Philippine Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Seychelles Islands, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and New Zealand (the latter is an incorrect record, according to Brockerhoff et al. 2003). It has been reported from Africa, with single records from Kenya and Zambia, but it has not been found there recently (Beaver & Browne 1975, 1978). It was introduced to Cuba (Bright & Skidmore 2002), Hawaii (Cognato & Rubinoff 2008), Jamaica (Wood & Bright 1992), and Thailand (Beaver & Browne 1975).
We thank Dr. Robert Rabaglia, U.S. Forest Service, for confirming the identification. This is Entomology Contribution No. 1166 of the Bureau of Entomology, Neonatology and Plant Pathology, Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
