06.02. Pteleobius vittatus (Fabricius, 1792)
Presence
E: AU, BE, BU, BY, CR, CT, CZ, FR, GB, GE, GR, HU, IR, IT, LA, LT, MC, NL, PL, RO, SK, SL* SP, ST, SZ, UK, YU
A: IS TR
Figure 34: Pteleobius vittatus, dorsal, lateral (Photo: Maja Jurc)
Older catalogs and keys – citations of name
Siegel 1866: Hylesinus vittatus Fab.; Grüne 1979: Pteleobius vittatus (Fabricius, 1787); Freude, Harde, Lohse 1981: P. vittatus Fabricius; Pfeffer & Knížek 1993: P. vittatus (Fabricius, 1787); Pfeffer 1995: P. vittatus (Fabricius, 1787).
Figure 35: Pteleobius vittatus, distribution map according to historical and recent data
Ecology and presence in Slovenia
The species is widespread in Europe, Asia Minor, Ukraine, former Yugoslavia, Asia. Siegel (1866) states that the species is “not rare in Carniola, on oaks”. In Slovenia, there are two known sites near Ig, without a recorded host plant, and a more recent site in the Slovene part of Istria, where the species was trapped (Figure 35). Monogamous species, according to the literature the hosts are Ulmus spp. (U. laevis, U. carpinifolia, U. glabra), exceptionally Acer campestre, Fraxinus excelsior and Carpinus sp.. Adult length is 1.8-2.3 mm (Figure 34). The beetles carry spores of pathogenic fungi that cause elm dieback or Dutch elm disease. These fungi are Ophiostoma ulmi (Buisman) Nannf. (sin. Ceratocystis ulmi (Buism.) C. Moreau) and Ophiostoma novo-ulmi Brasier. The species has probably become rarer in Slovenia due to elm dieback.