Emerald ash borer
Scientific name: Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, 1888
Overview
The emerald ash borer, also known by the abbreviation EAB, is a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia that feeds on ash species. Females lay eggs in bark crevices on ash trees, and larvae feed underneath the bark of ash trees to emerge as adults in one to two years. In its native range, it is typically found at low densities and does not cause significant damage to trees native to the area. Outside its native range, it is an invasive species and is highly destructive to ash trees native to Europe and North America. Before it was found in North America, very little was known about the emerald ash borer in its native range; this has resulted in much of the research on its biology being focused in North America. Local governments in North America are attempting to control it by monitoring its spread, diversifying tree species, and through the use of insecticides and biological control.
From the Wikipedia article “Emerald ash borer”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Australasia, Nearctic, Neotropic, Indomalaya, Palearctic, Afrotropic, Oceania.
Common names
Names in other languages (6)
- Arabic
- أرغيل
- Chinese
- 光臘瘦吉丁蟲, 花曲柳窄吉丁
- French
- Agrile du frêne
- Japanese
- アオナガタマムシ
- Persian
- سوسک زبانگنجشک
- Portuguese
- Besouro-verde
Related animals
Sources
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Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The World of Jewel Beetles.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — names in other languages. Q1960177, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Emerald ash borer”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Forestry Archive, CC BY 3.0 us, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026