Bark beetle
A
bark beetle is one of approximately 220 genera with 6,000 species of beetles in the subfamily
Scolytinae. Traditionally, this was considered a distinct family
Scolytidae, but now it is understood that bark beetles are in fact very specialized members of the "true weevil" family. 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. 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.