Ips lecontei

Swaine, 1924

Arizona Five-Spined Ips

Ips lecontei is a bark beetle in the weevil Curculionidae, first described by J.M. Swaine in 1924. It belongs to the Ips, a group commonly known as engraver beetles due to the distinctive gallery patterns their larvae create beneath tree bark. The species is distributed in North America and Middle America. Like other Ips species, it is associated with coniferous trees, though specific ecological details for this species remain limited in published literature.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Ips lecontei: //ɪps lɛˈkɒntaɪ//

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Identification

Ips are distinguished from other bark beetles by the number and arrangement of spines on the declivity of the . The specific epithet "lecontei" honors the entomologist John Lawrence LeConte. For definitive identification of I. lecontei, examination of the spine pattern and other morphological details is required, though published diagnostic keys specifically for this species are not widely available.

Distribution

Present in Middle America and North America. Specific range details within these regions are not well documented in the available sources.

Similar Taxa

Ips grandicollisBoth are North American Ips with five spines on the declivity; I. grandicollis is better known as a pest of eastern white pine and other conifers in eastern North America, while I. lecontei appears to have a more southwestern distribution.
Ips calligraphusAnother five-spined Ips found in North America; reliable separation requires detailed examination of spine arrangement and other subtle morphological characters.
Ips piniA common North American Ips , though I. pini typically has only four spines, distinguishing it from the five-spined I. lecontei.

More Details

Taxonomic note

The Ips has undergone taxonomic revisions, and some sources may place these in the , though modern classifications treat Scolytinae as a within Curculionidae.