Oak Pinhole Borer

Platypus cylindrus

1. Identification

• Common name: Oak pinhole borer
• Scientific name: Platypus cylindrus Fabricius
• Order: Coleoptera
• Family: Curculionidae (subfamily Platypodinae)

2. Pest description

• Adults 3–5 mm, cylindrical body and dark brown to black colouring.
• Males with a wider head and developed mandibles.
• Females excavate the main galleries.
• Larvae legless, whitish, with a brown head.
• Xylophagous species that bores into trunks and thick branches.
• Acts as a vector of pathogenic fungi associated with the decline of the montado, including Ophiostoma spp. and Raffaelea spp. (cork oak sudden death).

3. Main hosts

• Cork oak.
• Holm oak.
• Portuguese oak.
• Other Quercus spp. species.
• Higher incidence in weakened, burnt or recently felled trees.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Circular borings in the trunk and branches.
• Expulsion of fine sawdust through the entry holes.
• Extensive galleries inside the wood.
• Progressive decline due to the interruption of sap circulation.
• Inoculation of pathogenic fungi that accelerate the decline.
• Increased mortality in affected cork oaks and holm oaks.

5. Biological cycle

• One generation per year in a Mediterranean climate.
• Adults emerge in spring and summer.
• Females excavate galleries where they lay the eggs.
• Larvae develop inside the wood over several months.
• Pupation within the galleries before the emergence of the adults.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of recent circular holes.
• Checking for sawdust accumulated at the base of the tree.
• Inspection of weakened, burnt or water-stressed trees.
• Intensive monitoring of population dynamics through the use of traps with an attractant and pheromone in areas with a history of the pest.
• Assessment of attack intensity to determine the need for intervention.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: removal and destruction of infested wood, avoiding prolonged storage of firewood and reducing the water stress of the trees.
• Biological: promotion of associated natural enemies and antagonistic fungi.
• Integrated protection: regular monitoring, interventions only when justified, judicious use of authorised products and appropriate management of the vegetation to reduce the attractiveness of the trees.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Platypus cylindrus.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – P. cylindrus.
• DGAV – Programa Operacional de Sanidade Florestal (POSF) (2019).
• DGAV – Plano de Ação Nacional para o Controlo de Pragas e Doenças Florestais (2019).
• ICNF – Plano de Controlo para o inseto Platypus cylindrus 2019–2023 (2019).
• ICNF – Relatório de Execução do Plano de Controlo 2019–2022 (2023).
• Inácio, M. L. N. S. (2010). Fungi associated with Platypus cylindrus and their relation to cork oak decline.
• Sousa, E. et al. (2011). Declínio do montado e pragas xilófagas associadas.