[4] In 2009, specimens matching the description for E. fornicatus were introduced into Israel, where they were documented as vectors of a new fungal plant pathogen in avocado trees.

They are bulky, dark brown or black and the frontal edge of the pronotum has a row of saw-like projections.

As such, Euwallacea fornicatus is typically considered a species complex, with several clades that occur in separate regions of Southeast Asia and develop in different hosts.

[12] The first two clades, both commonly called the tea shot hole borer, are E. fornicatus and E. fornicatior; these are originally from southern Southeast Asia and introduced into Hawaii and Florida.

The third clade is thought to originate from a more northern range in Southeast Asia and to have since been introduced into Los Angeles, California, Israel and South Africa.

[13] This clade has been given the common name polyphagous shot hole borer in reference to the very broad host range, and contains E. whitfordiodendrus.

The fourth clade, the Kuroshio shot hole borer, is believed to have originated in the Pacific Islands and has since been introduced into San Diego county, California, and contains E.

[16] As the rest of the ambrosia beetles, E. fornicatus larvae and adults do not consume the wood itself, but instead feed on a symbiotic fungus (Fusarium euwallaceae) carried in a specific structure called mycangium.

The only way to kill an infestation of the pest is to remove and grind up the affected wood into woodchips, which in most cases requires cutting down entire mature trees.