Scolytus rugulosus (Müller, 1818), Muller, 1818

Beaver, Roger A., Ghahari, Hassan & Sanguansub, Sunisa, 2016, An annotated checklist of Platypodinae and Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from Iran, Zootaxa 4098 (3), pp. 401-441 : 421

Scolytus rugulosus (Müller, 1818)

Distribution in Iran. Ardabil (Basir et al. 2013), East Azarbaijan, Hamadan, Isfahan, Kerman, Kermanshah, Tehran, Zanjan, central and northern provinces ( Modarres Awal 1997 as Ruguloscolytus rugulosus ), Guilan (Amini et al. 2012; Amini et al. 2013), Semnan ( Borumand 1998), West Azarbaijan ( Samin et al. 2011), generally distributed ( Modarres Awal 1997 as Ruguloscolytus mediterraneus Eggers, 1922 ), Iran (no locality cited) ( Mifsud & Knížek 2009; Knížek 2011).

General distribution. Europe, North Africa, through Central Asia to Mongolia and China. Introduced into the Nearctic and Neotropical regions.

Biology. This species can breed in a large variety of host trees in different families, but primarily breeds in genera of Rosaceae ( Michalski 1973; Pfeffer 1995). Recorded in Iran from Cerasus avium , Crataegus sp., Cydonia oblonga , Malus domestica , M. orientalis , Malus sp., Mespilus germanica , Persica vulgaris , Prunus amygdalus , P. armeniaca , P. cerasus , P. c om m u ni s, P. domestica , P. s pi no s a, Prunus sp., Pyrus communis , Sorbus sp. ( Rosaceae ), Alnus sp. ( Betulaceae ), Fagus orientalis (Fagaceae) , Laurus nobilis (Lauraceae) , Ulmus spp . ( Ulmaceae ) ( Modarres Awal 1997; Samin et al. 2011; Amini et al. 2013; Basir et al. 2013). The biology was studied in Iran by Shojai (1963 as Scolytus mediterraneus Eggers ), and is summarised by Smith and Cognato (2014). Schvester (1957) analyses the roles of climatic and biological factors on the population dynamics of the species. It is economically important as a pest of rosaceous fruit trees (e.g. Balachowsky 1949; Kadyrov 1989; Mendel et al. 1997). It usually attacks stressed trees, but sometimes when abundant is able to attack apparently healthy trees ( Kadyrov 1989).

Comments. Pteromalid wasps ( Hymenoptera : Pteromalidae ), Heydenia pretiosa Förster, 1856 and Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard, 1881) are parasitoids in Iran ( Davatchi & Shojai 1968, Radjabi 1991, Modarres Awal 1997 as A. mollis Ruschka ), together with Cheiropachus quadrum (Fabricius, 1787) on Prunus persica and Persica vulgaris ( Ghahari 2004; Ghahari & Huang 2012), Dinotiscus colon (Linnaeus 1758) ( Davatchi & Shojai 1968, Shojai 1998 as Cheiropachus colon L.), Rhaphitelus maculatus Walker 1834 on dead wood of apple (Shojai 1963, 1998; Davatchi & Shojai 1968; Radjabi 1991).

Additionally, Atanycolus ivanowi (Kokujev, 1898) ( Hymenoptera : Braconidae ) is distributed in most regions of Iran ( Gadallah & Ghahari 2015), and is a parasitoid of Ruguloscolytus mediterraneus Eggers (Shenefelt 1978) . Its role as a natural enemy should be investigated.