Examples of the vertical distribution of burrows of warm water sphaeromatids relative to tide levels and mud line from sites in India, Papua New Guinea and tropical Australia are discussed in detail. These data show clearly that these animals concentrate their attack of resistant natural wood or resistant treated wood in the tidal zone, particularly around Mean Sea Level. Supportive evidence from Kenya is also presented. Circumstantial evidence indicating the repellancy of creosote to sphaeromatids is discussed together with suggested reasons why Sphaeroma terebrans Bate syn. Sphaeroma destructor Richardson was not detected in small specimen tests conducted in Australia, Papua New Guinea and at Daytona Beach, Florida whereas these borers are well known in piling timbers on tropical to warm temperate eastern Australian coasts, and were detected recently on preservative-treated piling timbers at the latter locations. It is stressed that test specimens of preservative-treated or naturally resistant wood must be exposed within the tidal zone at sites where Sphaeroma terebrans and/possibly Sphaeroma triste Heller are active, i.e. if truly meaningful measures of the resistance of such woods to these borers are to be obtained.

Download document (2.1 Mb)
free for the members of IRG. Available if purchased.

Purchase this document