Dendroctonus brevicomis

Dendroctonus brevicomis, the western pine beetle, is a species of crenulate bark beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is found in North America^[1][2][3] and parts of Mexico.^[4] It is known as a destructive pest of ponderosa and Coulter pine trees.^[5] When drought makes these pines more susceptible to infestations by D. brevicomis, there is an increased risk of forest fires due to dead trees.^[6]

Dendroctonus brevicomis
Life stages of D. brevicomis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Curculionidae
Genus:	Dendroctonus
Species:	D. brevicomis
Binomial name
Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte, 1876

Adult D. brevicomis are brown or black beetles 3–5 mm in length. Females carve lengthy egg galleries in the wood, damaging the trees.^[5]

Examples of D. brevicomis egg galleries in ponderosa pine

References

1. "Dendroctonus brevicomis Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
2. "Dendroctonus brevicomis". GBIF. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
3. "Dendroctonus brevicomis species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
4. Valerio-Mendoza, O; Armendáriz-Toledano, F; Cuéllar-Rodríguez, G; Negrón, José F; Zúñiga, G (2017-09-01). "The Current Status of the Distribution Range of the Western Pine Beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Northern Mexico". Journal of Insect Science. 17 (5). doi:10.1093/jisesa/iex070. ISSN 1536-2442. PMC 5597856. PMID 28922899.
5. Will, Kip; Gross, Joyce; Rubinoff, Daniel; Powell, Jerry A. (2020). Field Guide to California Insects. Oakland, California: University of California Press. p. 265. ISBN 9780520288744.
6. "Western Pine Beetle Kindles Fire Concerns in California". BioCycle. 44 (4): 53. April 1, 2003.

Further reading

• Lobl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2013). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Volume 7: Curculionoidea I. Apollo Books. ISBN 978-90-04-26093-1.
• Lobl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2013). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Volume 8: Curculionoidea II. Apollo Books. ISBN 978-90-04-25916-4.