NATIVE RANGE: East Asia

FIRST FINDING IN SLOVENIA: not yet found in Slovenia

PATHWAYS: transport of saplings and wood packaging material

POSSIBLE TO FIND: yearround

FLIGHT SEASON OF ADULTS: May-June

DESCRIPTION: The Emerald ash borer is a shiny, emerald green buprestid beetle, 8–14 mm long. The larvae are creamy yellow and up to 26-32 mm long. The pronotum is broader than the rest of the body. The larvae construct zigzag-shaped galleries beneath tree bark, 20–30  mm long. The creamy white pupa may be found deeper, in the cambium layer. The characteristic “D”-shaped exit holes have a diameter of 3–4 mm.

HABITAT: Host plants are ash species (Fraxinus spp.). This species can be found both in forests and in urban settings.

STATUS: Found in the surroundings of Moscow (Russia) and currently spreading westwards.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The emerald ash borer is very similar to native European species of the genus Agrilus, especially the oak splendour beetle (A. biguttatus) and the metallic wood-boring beetle (A. ater). Similar deaths of ash trees are also caused by the fungus ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) and by various “honey fungi” (Armillaria spp).

SOURCE: Field Guide to Invasive Alien Species in European Forests