FUNGUS TRANSPORT STRUCTURES IN THE FIR ENGRAVER, SCOLYTUS VENTRALIS (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE)

Abstract
Adult fir engraver beetles were examined by serial paraffin sections and scanning electron microscopy. In both male and female beetles small cup-shaped pits covering the top and portions of the side of the head were consistently found to carry fungal spores. These pits usually contained a waxy looking material in which the spores were imbedded. The pits provide a mechanism for fungal transport and storage.
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