5
AUG. 4, 2019, BROOKLYN WEEKLY
Little prick leads to big
discovery at Green-Wood
Green-Wood Cemetery’s
European beech trees two
years ago, but it wasn’t until
he took a gander at the
bug’s private parts that
he noticed an itty-bitty
schlong he didn’t recognize
— a possible clue that
the critter was new to science.
So the forestry technician
sent the beetle in for
testing, and, sure enough,
DNA results proved the
creature was a unique
specimen of the genome
Agrilus, a family of about
3,000 species.
A type of jewel beetle,
the Agrilus genus originally
hails from Europe,
and the Green-Wood specimen
most likely traveled
across the Atlantic upon
wooden shipping crates, or
imported trees, according
to DiGirolomo.
pretty amazing,” he said.
“To be part of a collaboration
about the discovery of the
Euro creepy crawly. Horticulturalists
Wood Cemetery, a certifi ed
arboretum with over 7,000
trees, worry about nonnative
their foliage. The 476-acre
grave-yard is located only
a couple of blocks away
from Sunset Park’s shipping
spot for invasive pests, according
resident green thumb.
with the problem,” said
Joseph Charap, director
of horticulture at Green-
CATERERS
Wood Cemetery.
Agrilus 9898 has damaged
the outer twigs of the
plants it has infested, but
DiGirolomo does not think
it poses a serious threat to
Kings County trees. To better
understand the insect
and its potential impact on
Green-Wood’s green stuff,
the National Forest Service
will fund a three-year
study of trees throughout
Brooklyn.
As for Green-Wood
Cemetery, the discovery of
the wood-eating beetle at
least point to the success of
the cemetery’s collaboration
with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s Forest
Service.
“It’s gratifying to know
that the partnership can
lead to discoveries like
this one,” Charap noted.
Scientists identifi ed a new species of beetle at Green-Wood
Cemetery discovered by a male specimen’s (right) unique
genitalia. National Forest Service
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BY ROSE ADAMS
Scientists from the national
Forest Service announced
Tuesday that
they discovered a new
species of beetle in Green-
Wood Cemetery, claiming
the insect touts a neverbefore
seen package that’s
got biologists all worked
up, according to a federal
forestry technician.
“The male genitalia
didn’t match anything we
have on fi le,” said Marc
DiGirolomo, the Forest
Health Technician who
fi rst spotted the beetle,
known as Agrilus 9898,
during the Forest Service’s
survey of the cemetery in
2017.
DiGirolomo found the
diminutive 4-millimeterlong
insect while pulling
wood samples from one of
“Personally, it was
identifying a new species
is awesome.”
Not everyone is thrilled
at Green-
insects destroying
ports, making it a hot
to the cemetery’s
“We’re going to work
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