Xylotrechus chinensis, a beautiful East Palaearctic species recently introduced to Europe, has been described from Shanghai environs (China) by Louis Alexandre Auguste Chevrolat in 1852 [❖]. The species was introduced to Southern Europe (France, Greece, Italy, Spain) in the beginning of 21th century and has become a major pest of mulberry trees in populated areas [✳][✰][✮][✧]. X. chinensis mainly develop in old living mulberry trees (Morus spp.) but can also feed on Rosaceae (Malus spp. and Pyrus spp.) and Vitaceae (Vitis vinifera) [✬]. Larvae create galleries under the bark of the tree and later gradually enter the wood of the lower parts of the trunk and roots. Larvae overwinters in the wood of the infested tree, where they pupates. Adults emerge in late spring (May–June) through circular exit holes and then move to the top of the tree to feed on shoots and leaves of the tree and become sexually mature. Infested trees exhibit multiple exit holes, most of which are located mainly on the south-eastern sun-exposed parts of the trunks. A direct consequence of the infestation is a gradual weakening of the tree that can result in its death [✳][✰][✮].

Body length:	15 - 25 mm
Life cycle:	1 years
Adults in:	May - August
Host plant:	predominantly in Moraceae (Morus alba, Morus bombycis), but also in Rosaceae (Malus pumila, Pyrus sp.) and Vitaceae (Vitis vinifera)
Distribution:	East Palaearctic (China, Japan, Korea) species introduced to South Europe (France, Greece, Italy, Spain)

The depicted mounted beetle was collected in Amoudara (Αμμουδάρα) village (N35°20′12″ E25°5′15″; 5 m a.s.l, Heraklion, Crete, Greece) on June 5, 2024. The living specimen was photographed in Tower of the Winds (Ωρολόγιο του Κυρρήστου) environs (Roman Agora, Athens, Greece) on June 3, 2022.

Collected by Tomáš Novotný and Fabian A. Boetzl

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[❖]
Chevrolat L.A.A.:
Description de Coléoptères nouveaux.
Revue et Magasin de Zoologie (2) 4: 414-418, 1852. [download ]

[✬]
Han Y. and Lyu D.:
Taxonomic Review of the Genus Xylotrechus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) in Korea with a Newly Recorded Species.
Korean Journal of Applied Entomolology 49 (2): 69-82, 2010. [download ]

[✮]
Sarto i Monteys V., Torras i Tutusaus G.:
A New Alien Invasive Longhorn Beetle, Xylotrechus chinensis (Cerambycidae), Is Infesting Mulberries in Catalonia (Spain).
Insects 9 (52): 1-16, 2018. [download ]

[✧]
Ruzzier E., Morin L., Zugno M., Tapparo A., Bani L., Di Giulio A.:
New records of non-native Coleoptera in Italy.
Biodiversity Data Journal 11: e111487, 2026. [download ]

[✳]
Leivadara E., Leivadaras I., Vontas I., Trichas A., Simoglou K., Roditakis E. & Avtzis D.N.:
First record of Xylotrechus chinensis (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in Greece and in the EPPO region.
Bulletin OEPP/EPPOB 48: 1-4, 2018. [download ]

[✰]
Cocquempot Ch., Desbles F., Mouttet R.,Valladares L.:
Xylotrechus chinensis (Chevrolat, 1852), nouvelle espèce invasive pour la France metropolitaine (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Clytini).
Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France 124 (1): 27-32, 2019. [download ]