| Dendroctonus terebrans | |
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| Species: | D. terebrans |
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| Dendroctonus terebrans (Olivier, 1795) | |
Dendroctonus terebrans, the black turpentine beetle, is a species of bark beetle native to the eastern United States. Its larvae tunnel under the bark of pine trees, weakening and sometimes killing the trees. [1]
This is the largest bark beetle in the southeastern United States, with an adult length of 5 to 8 mm (0.2 to 0.3 in). It is cylindrical, dark reddish-brown or black. The prothorax is narrower at the front than at the back and does not completely cover the head. The antennae are club-shaped, the front of the head is convex, and the tip of the abdomen is rounded. The larvae are creamy-white with orange-brown heads, and have no legs. When fully developed they are about 12 mm (0.5 in) in length. [1]
D. terebrans is native to eastern United States where it attacks both native pines and exotic pine species. Its range extends from New Hampshire southwards through the coastal plain to Florida and westward to Texas and Missouri. The red turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus valens) has a much wider distribution in the eastern United States, and the ranges of the two species overlap very little. [1]
This beetle is strongly attracted to volatile chemicals produced by freshly cut pine stumps, and it will infest these as well as intact trees, in particular selecting trees that are stressed. The trees are often simultaneously attacked by certain species of engraver beetles (Ips spp.) and the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis). [2]
D. terebrans attacks pine trees near the base. A female beetle tunnels into the bark and has to overcome the resin exuded by the tree as a defence. This oozing resin mixes with the wood dust and forms a pinkish "pitch tube" on the bark at the site of entry. If she successfully gains entry into the sapwood, the female spends about a fortnight excavating a gallery which typically is at first horizontal and then goes vertically downwards, often to below ground level. Here she is joined by a male and lays about a hundred eggs at one side of the gallery. The eggs hatch after ten to fourteen days and the larvae fan out, chewing their way side by side through the surface layers of the sapwood, [1] creating a gallery packed full with the frass they produce. This gallery resembles that formed by the red turpentine beetle and the Mexican bark beetle ( Dendroctonus rhizophagus ), which both feed on pine, and the great spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus micans), which feeds on spruce. [3]
When they have completed their development, the larvae tunnel away from each other individually and create pupation chambers in which they pupate. When the adult insects emerge, they drill their way to the surface and disperse. In Florida, breeding takes place at any time of year, and there may be three overlapping generations. The beetle can act as a vector for the blue stain fungus, carrying it from one tree to another. [1] A European predatory beetle, Rhizophagus grandis , that normally preys on the related great spruce bark beetle, has been found experimentally to be attracted to the frass produced by the black turpentine beetle larvae. Biological control using this predator is being investigated, with a batch of beetles imported from Belgium being released in Louisiana in 1988. [4]
A bark beetle is one of about 6,000 species in 247 genera of beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae. Previously, this was considered a distinct family (Scolytidae), but is now understood to be specialized clade of the "true weevil" family (Curculionidae). Although the term "bark beetle" refers to the fact that many species feed in the inner bark (phloem) layer of trees, the subfamily also has many species with other lifestyles, including some that bore into wood, feed in fruit and seeds, or tunnel into herbaceous plants. Well-known species are members of the type genus Scolytus, namely the European elm bark beetle S. multistriatus and the large elm bark beetle S. scolytus, which like the American elm bark beetle Hylurgopinus rufipes, transmit Dutch elm disease fungi (Ophiostoma). The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis, and their near relatives are major pests of conifer forests in North America. A similarly aggressive species in Europe is the spruce ips Ips typographus. A tiny bark beetle, the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei is a major pest on coffee plantations around the world.
Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter.
The ant beetle, also known as the European red-bellied clerid, is a medium size insect, rather soft-bodied, with strong mandibles that can tear between the hard sclerotized integument of bark beetles. Larvae and adults are common predators of bark beetles in Europe.
Hylotrupes is a monotypic genus of woodboring beetles in the family Cerambycidae, the longhorn beetles. The sole species, Hylotrupes bajulus, is known by several common names, including house longhorn beetle, old house borer, and European house borer. It is the only genus in the tribe Hylotrupini.
Tomicus piniperda is a bark beetle native throughout Europe, northwestern Africa, and northern Asia. It is one of the most destructive shoot-feeding species in northern Europe.
Dioryctria sylvestrella, the new pine knot-horn or maritime pine borer, is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It is found in Europe, parts of Asia and North Africa. The adult is a small mottled brown and white insect with a wingspan of 28 to 35 mm. The moth flies in a single generation from June to October and is a pest of maritime pine and several other species of pine, on which the caterpillars feed.
Dendroctonus is a genus of bark beetles. It includes several species notorious for destroying trees in the forests of North America. The genus has a symbiotic relationship with many different yeasts, particularly those in the genera Candida (fungus) and Pichia that aid in digestion and pheromone production.
Dendroctonus rufipennis, the spruce beetle, is a species of bark beetle native to British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Northern Manitoba, the Yukon, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Maine. They are known to destroy forests of spruce trees including Engelmann, White, Sitka, and Colorado blue spruce. Adults average 4 to 7 mm in length.
Lyctus carbonarius is a wood-boring beetle in the family Bostrichidae, commonly known as the southern lyctus beetle or lyctid powderpost beetle. It is a serious pest of hardwoods including ash, hickory, oak, maple and mahogany and can infest many products in the home including hardwood flooring and structural timbers, plywood, furniture, tool handles, picture frames, baskets and ladders. Timber can be infested in one location and then be transported large distances by ship, after which the beetles can emerge and spread the infestation to new areas.
The European spruce bark beetle, is a species of beetle in the weevil subfamily Scolytinae, the bark beetles, and is found from Europe to Asia Minor and some parts of Africa.
Hylastes ater is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae, the true weevils. It is a bark beetle, a member of the subfamily Scolytinae. Its common name is the black pine bark beetle. It is native to Europe and parts of Asia, including China and Korea. It is known as an introduced species in many other regions, including Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, and South Africa. It is a pest of pines and other trees, and it is widespread in areas where pine trees are cultivated. The species "is an important threat to the biosecurity of all forested countries."
Ips is a genus of beetles in the family Curculionidae, the true weevils. They are bark beetles, members of the subfamily Scolytinae. Species are distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Some are known as introduced species in Australia and Africa. Many species are pests of forest trees, especially pines and spruces. They are known commonly as engraver beetles, ips engraver beetles, and pine engravers.
Platypus cylindrus, commonly known as the oak pinhole borer, is a species of ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Scolytinae. The adults and larvae burrow under the bark of mature oak trees. It is native to Europe.
Dendroctonus valens, the red turpentine beetle, is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of North America, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. It has been introduced to China where it has become invasive. In its native range it causes little damage, but in China it is a destructive pest and has killed more than six million pine trees.
Dendroctonus micans, the great spruce bark beetle, is a species of bark beetle native to the coniferous forests of Europe and Asia. The beetles burrow into the bark of spruce trees and lay eggs which develop into larvae that feed on the woody layers under the bark.
Rhizophagus grandis is a species of predatory beetle in the family Monotomidae. R. grandis is a specialist predator on the larvae of the great spruce bark beetle, a pest of spruce trees (Picea), and is found in Eurasian forests where its prey is found.
Xyloterinus is a genus of typical bark beetles in the family Curculionidae. This is a monotypic genus and the one described species is Xyloterinus politus. It is native to North America where it infests both hardwood and softwood trees, as well as stacks of logs.
The current bark beetle infestation in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States was first detected in 1996. It involved the Mountain pine beetle, which has since spread across millions of acres of dense forest land. In addition, Spruce beetle populations have also been growing in the area in recent years and are further contributing to the existing outbreak. One of the main factors limiting bark beetle population growth is the temperature they can survive at and climate change has raised the average temperature in the region resulting in warmer winters and hotter, drier summers. This not only sped up the bark beetle reproduction process by providing more time per year for them to complete their developmental stages, moisture stressing due to hotter temperatures also weakens the trees’ defense against attacks by reducing resin production. Furthermore, forest management has also played a significant role as many forests in the region have very dense tree populations which facilitates faster spreading from tree to tree, as well as weakening tree defenses further by stressing them through excessive competition.
Euplatypus parallelus, previously known as Platypus parallelus, is a species of ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae. The adults and larvae form galleries in various species of tree and logs. It is native to Central and South America but has spread globally, is present in Africa and is well established in tropical Asia.
Arrhenodes minutus, commonly known as the oak timberworm, is a species of primitive weevil in the family Brentidae. These beetles are pests of hardwoods in North America. Adult oak timberworms are shiny, elongate, and range 7 to 25 mm in length. They are reddish-brown to brownish-black in coloration, with yellow spots on their elytra. Adults display strong sexual dimorphism; females have long, slender, straight mouthparts, while males possess flattened, broadened mouthparts with large mandibles. Males are known to be aggressive and use these large mandibles for combat. These mandibles are also used in courtship. Larvae are elongate, cylindrical, white, and curved. They have 3 pairs of jointed legs on the thorax and 1 pair of prolegs near the end of the abdomen.