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Member Symposium

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

Flatheaded Borers in Specialty Crops: Lessons Learned and the Challenges Ahead

Novel host-plant association for Chrysobothris mali Horn, 1886 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) larvae found infesting Pyrus communis L. 'Bartlett' (Rosaceae) fruit in Lake County, California orchards

Wednesday, November 12, 2025
9:50 AM - 10:05 AM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, Portland Ballroom 252, OCC
Oral Presentation
Within the family Buprestidae there are about 702 species in the genus Chrysobothris with at least 63 species found in California. In August 2023, larvae of an unknown buprestid species were found feeding in numerous pear fruits in four orchards in Lake County, California. Larvae were collected and placed on artificial diet to allow development into adults. A larval sample sent to the California Department of Food and Agriculture was identified as a Chrysobothris species based on morphological characteristics. Nondestructive DNA extraction and CoxI barcoding from four larvae identified the buprestid as the Pacific flatheaded borer, Chrysobothris mali Horn, 1886 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) a result later confirmed by morphological identification of reared adults. The Pacific flatheaded borer has a wide host range of at least 70 host plant species belonging to 40 genera in 21 different plant families. This is the first reported detection of a buprestid attacking fruit, indicating a potential behavioral shift by this species.