LAUSR

Chukrasia tabularis (Meliaceae) has been planted for many decades in home gardens and plantations in Vietnam. Recently, growers have become concerned with attack by stem borers. Tapinolachnus lacordairei J. Thomson 1864 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is identified as a new indigenous pest causing damage to 15 to 30 year-old stands of C. tabularis in Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces. The leaves of infested trees prematurely senesce or wilt followed by tree death. In 2019, the infestation level was 12.5–22.5% and the damage index was 0.33–0.55. Adults emerge from February to May, mate within 1–3 days and the females lay 20–40 eggs on the bark of healthy and infested trees. The larvae feed first in the phloem and sapwood, and then in the heartwood where they make pupal chambers. Larvae take up to one year to become fully grown. To mitigate against further loss of C. tabularis , cost-effective control strategies need to be developed and steps taken to reduce the risk of dispersal of the pest beyond its native range in SE Asia.