Description

Native to S.E. Asia, Polyphagous shot hole borer(Euwallacea whitfordiodendrus) was unintentionally introduced to California via shipping containers. Now the tiny beetle bores into California’s native trees, carrying a pathogenic fungus which deteriorates the trees' ability to uptake water.

UC Santa Barbara’s Riparian InVasion Research Laboratory(RIVR Lab) works on biological solutions to mitigate the effects these beetles have on native wildlife. Polyphagous shot hole borer is invasive to California’s ecosystems since it carries pathogenic fungus that affects the xylem of trees it bores into. The pattern in the background shows the path by which the beetle bores through trees, all the while spreading disease and destroying native habitat. The insect shown is based on a preserved specimen collected by Shelley Bennett, UC Santa Barbara graduate student. After observing the specimen under a dissecting microscope, I took pictures and digitally painted it in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.