Verification of the Distribution of the Rare and Cryptic Boreal Bark Beetle Pityophthorus micrographus in Central Europe

Bark beetles feed and breed between the bark and the wood of various tree species. Pityophthorus micrographus (Curculionidae, Scolytinae), a small size Euro-Asian bark beetle species living in branches and twigs of fir and spruce trees, is most likely confused with P. pityographus. This misidentification leads to highly incorrect ecological conclusions dealing with occurrence and spreading in the scientific literature. In order to verify the range of P. micrographus in Central Europe, faunistic data on the occurrences of P. micrographus were obtained by compiling the first author′s distribution data, literature excerpts and physical specimens of beetles in museum collection. In Central Europe, P. micrographus has been documented in a total of 41 localities in six countries. However, since 2000, the species has only been detected in seven localities in three countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. This study revealed that P. micrographus is a boreal species whose range extends into native boreal forests in northern Poland. Furthermore, we show that the species occurs in southern Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, either in natural spruce forests in the mountains or inversion sites with native or introduced spruce species.