Researchers at the University of Florida have launched a new edition of a global database of bark and ambrosia beetles, providing records for nearly 8,000 species and tens of thousands of images to improve pest identification, biosecurity, and forest management worldwide. Users can search and filter beetle records by species name, synonyms, hosts, subfamily (Platypodinae or Scolytinae), world region, country, or state. (Screenshot)

By Tyler Carney, Ph.D., Jiri Hulcr, Ph.D., and Andrew Johnson, Ph.D.

Bark and ambrosia beetles are incredible creatures that frequently receive a disproportionate amount of disdain and fear from foresters and landowners. A vast majority of bark and ambrosia beetles only target unhealthy and dying trees, but a few species are destructive, such as the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis), the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) or the redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus). But the beetles themselves are rarely the source of the problem; they are a symptom of larger issues involving overstocked forests, importation of non-native species, and the changing climate which pushes trees beyond their physiological limits.

How do we recognize the few destructive pests that are taking advantage of Anthropocene chaos amid the majority of the harmless species? And how do we tell those many bark beetles that are victims of deforestation and are becoming rare and endangered? Forestry professionals, entomologists, and government agencies need to correctly understand the identity, geography, and ecology of individual species. To support this need, the University of Florida (UF) Forest Entomology Lab launched “Bark and Ambrosia Beetles of the World,” the world’s largest bark and ambrosia beetle database. Version 2.0, released this month, contains 15,778 specimen records, 32,403 images, and 7,990 species.

Researchers at the University of Florida have launched a new edition of a global database of bark and ambrosia beetles, providing records for nearly 8,000 species and tens of thousands of images—such as this photo of an Anisandrus dispar female—to improve pest identification, biosecurity, and forest management worldwide. Here, a  (Photo by Thomas Atkinson, Ph.D., Florida State Collection of Arthropods, Gainesville, Florida)

The database was not built by accident. Its initial version in 2025 was the culmination of decades of work by Thomas H. Atkinson, Ph.D., who recently retired and joined the UF Forest Entomology lab as associate research scientist and the Florida State Collection of Arthropods and who previously built a foundational bark and ambrosia beetle database that is still available. Data for the new database were provided to the UF Forest Entomology Lab, led by Jiri Hulcr, Ph.D., in 2024. Technical work was completed by Andrew Johnson, Ph.D., a research scientist at UF and a globally renowned bark beetle systematist, together with Dust Productions, which was hired to modernize the user interface and to provide stable hosting and efficiency. Funding support came from the 2024 Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, specifically through a grant from the Florida Forest Service. Additional database additions and management comes from Sarah Smith, Ph.D., an associate scientist at Michigan State University, and Eric Kuo, a University of Florida graduate.

Researchers at the University of Florida have launched a new edition of a global database of bark and ambrosia beetles, providing records for nearly 8,000 species and tens of thousands of images to improve pest identification, biosecurity, and forest management worldwide. Pictured here are (left to right) Thomas Atkinson, Ph.D., retired associate research scientist; Andrew Johnson, Ph.D., research scientist; Jiri Hulcr, Ph.D., professor of forest entomology; and Jeffrey Eickwort, Florida Forest Service entomologist, who has supported the building of the database. (Photo by Suzette Cook, UF/IFAS)

Collaboration fueled the creation of the database and is pivotal for its continued development and applications. Students, researchers, government staff, and biosecurity experts can all benefit from this database, particularly its large volume of high-quality images. This new database is a trusted, comprehensive, and up-to-date resource for confirming beetle identification, verifying its range, and getting basic taxonomic information. Given that many taxonomic changes have occurred over the last 20 years, the alternative options are outdated literature that have become difficult to follow and may be riddled with gaps and inconsistencies or other online sources that are rarely vetted for accuracy.

One of the advantages of the database is that it is a curated collection, rather than an automated data aggregator. Taxonomy is complex, requiring both biological and bibliographic research, and thus digitizing bark beetle biodiversity required a methodical process. Atkinson curated the original dataset by going through museum collections and recording data for hundreds of specimens a day as well as searching through old publications for species information and specimen citations. Further extensive revisions and improvements to the dataset required developing a checklist of all bark and ambrosia beetles and their synonyms.

A team of experts conducted meticulous review of original beetle descriptions and ironed out hundreds of taxonomic issues. Taking and uploading the photos, which are among the most useful elements of the database, also involved significant effort. Once a specimen is recorded, it is loaded onto a photo setup that takes dozens to potentially hundreds of photos per beetle specimen. All of these photos were focus-stacked and organized. The final images are high quality with sufficient detail for proper identification. In the spirit of collaboration, many of the images on the database came from other collaborating institutions and museums around the world.

Researchers at the University of Florida have launched a new edition of a global database of bark and ambrosia beetles, providing records for nearly 8,000 species and tens of thousands of images to improve pest identification, biosecurity, and forest management worldwide. Each species profile includes taxonomy, synonyms, photos, locations, and references. (Screenshot)

Contributions from other bark and ambrosia beetle taxonomists are welcome, as the database has a global scope. High-quality images of beetles are particularly valuable, even if the species is undetermined or if the images already exist in publications. Interested researchers should reach out to Johnson at [email protected] to discuss.

The world’s largest bark and ambrosia beetle database has a significant history and a promising future. After a year of a trial version, the team has moved to Version 2.0 with modern user experience such as advanced searches, improved image captions, and improvements to the interface for use on mobile devices. This resource fulfills a critical need in the monitoring and detection of potentially invasive species and has global applications for researchers, biosecurity experts, regulators, and students alike.

Tyler Carney, Ph.D., is a research coordinator at ProForest, based at the University of Florida , and an adjunct instructor at the University of Central Florida. Email: [email protected].  Jiri Hulcr, Ph.D., is a professor of forest entomology at the University of Florida. Email: [email protected]. Andrew Johnson, Ph.D., is a research scientist in forest entomology at the University of Florida. Email: [email protected].