Feeding damage by Euops splendidus Voss (Coleoptera: Attelabidae) on Sarcandra glabra (Thunb.) Nakai (Chloranthales: Chloranthaceae)

Abstract

Sarcandra glabra (Thunb.) Nakai (Chloranthales: Chloranthaceae), a dwarf evergreen tree, is a traditional auspicious plant in Japan that bears bright red fruits at the end of the year. Euops splendidus Voss (Coleoptera: Attelabidae) is a common beetle distributed on the Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu islands of Japan, as well as throughout Siberia. The adult beetles are polyphagous and feed on a wide range of plants. We found distinct oblong feeding scars and adults of the beetle on leaves of S. glabra among a cultivation field in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture in central Honshu, Japan. The laboratory experiments revealed that the scars were caused by the feeding of the beetle. To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. splendidus as an agricultural pest feeding on S. glabra leaves.