Conifer
Guides
Nepytia pellucidaria
false pine looper, Boreal Pine Looper Moth
Nepytia pellucidaria is a geometrid moth commonly known as the false pine looper. The species was first described by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1873. It occurs in northeastern North America, where its larvae feed on hard pines including pitch pine and red pine. The species has a wingspan of approximately 34–39 mm.
Oligonychus ununguis
spruce spider mite
Oligonychus ununguis, commonly known as the spruce spider mite, is a globally distributed pest of coniferous trees, particularly spruce. It is considered one of the most important pests of spruce plantations in Ontario and causes significant damage to ornamental conifers. The mite feeds on needle sap, causing foliage discoloration, and produces silk webbing that accumulates dust. Populations thrive in cool spring and autumn conditions but decline during hot summer weather when temperatures exceed 85°F.
Orthotomicus
Orthotomicus is a genus of bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, containing approximately nine described species. The genus is primarily associated with coniferous trees, particularly pines (Pinus spp.) and cedars (Cedrus spp.). Several species, notably Orthotomicus erosus (Mediterranean pine engraver) and O. laricis, have become significant forest pests through native population outbreaks and invasive range expansions. Species in this genus are known for their associations with ophiostomatoid fungi, which they vector and which contribute to tree decline.
Orthotomicus spinifer
Orthotomicus spinifer is a bark beetle species in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, described by Cognato & Vogler in 2001. It is a member of the genus Orthotomicus, which contains several species of bark beetles that infest coniferous trees. The species is known from North America and, like other members of its genus, is associated with the phloem and cambium layers of trees.
Phaenops
Phaenops is a genus of jewel beetles (Buprestidae) in the tribe Melanophilini. Species in this genus are primarily associated with coniferous trees, especially pines (Pinus spp.), and are closely related to the fire beetles of genus Melanophila. Unlike Melanophila, Phaenops lack the heat-sensing pores on the metathorax and do not exhibit fire-seeking behavior. The genus occurs across North America, with species documented from the southwestern United States to the Pacific Northwest and into Canada.
Phaenops lecontei
Phaenops lecontei is a species of metallic wood-boring beetle in the family Buprestidae. The genus Phaenops comprises species associated with coniferous trees, particularly pines. P. lecontei occurs in North America, with records from British Columbia, Canada and Alaska, United States. Like other members of its genus, it is presumed to develop in wood of Pinus species, though specific host associations for this species remain poorly documented.
Phloeosinus canadensis
northern cedar bark beetle
Phloeosinus canadensis, commonly known as the northern cedar bark beetle, is a species of crenulate bark beetle in the family Curculionidae. It is native to North America, with documented records from Canada (New Brunswick, Ontario, Québec) and the United States (Vermont). The species belongs to the genus Phloeosinus, a group of bark beetles associated with coniferous trees. As a member of the weevil family, it exhibits the characteristic elongated snout typical of Curculionidae.
Phloeosinus cupressi
cypress bark beetle
Phloeosinus cupressi is a crenulate bark beetle native to North America that has become invasive in Australia and New Zealand. It poses a serious threat to Cupressus trees and related conifers, with potential ecological and economic impacts globally. Climate change is projected to expand its suitable habitat northward by approximately 18% under RCP6.0 scenarios.
Phloeosinus sequoiae
Redwood Bark Beetle
Phloeosinus sequoiae is a small bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, commonly known as the Redwood Bark Beetle. The species was described by Hopkins in 1903 and is associated with Sequoia and Sequoiadendron species. It belongs to a genus of crenulate bark beetles that tunnel beneath bark of conifers.
Pissodes approximatus
northern pine weevil
Pissodes approximatus is a true weevil in the family Curculionidae, historically considered a junior synonym of P. nemorensis but now recognized as part of a single widespread species showing geographic variation in life history traits. The species is closely related to P. strobi, with which it can produce fertile laboratory hybrids, but maintains reproductive isolation in nature through breeding site specificity. Populations previously designated as P. approximatus (northern) and P. nemorensis (southern) differ in seasonal activity patterns and critical photoperiods for reproductive maturation.
Pissodes radiatae
Monterey Pine Weevil
Pissodes radiatae is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae, first described by Hopkins in 1911. It is associated with pine trees, as indicated by its common name referencing Monterey pine (Pinus radiata). The species occurs in western North America, with confirmed records from British Columbia. Like other members of the genus Pissodes, it likely develops in coniferous hosts, though specific biological details remain poorly documented in accessible literature.
Pityogenes fossifrons
Pityogenes fossifrons is a species of bark beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, described by Wood & Bright in 1992. It belongs to the genus Pityogenes, a group of small scolytine beetles that colonize coniferous trees. The species is known from western North America, with confirmed records from British Columbia, Canada. Like other members of its genus, it likely functions as a primary or secondary bark beetle associated with pine hosts.
Pityokteines ornatus
Pityokteines ornatus is a species of bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae. It was described by Wood in 1966. This species belongs to a genus of conifer-associated bark beetles that are significant forest pests in North America. The genus Pityokteines contains species that primarily infest fir trees (Abies spp.), with adults typically boring into the bark to create galleries where they lay eggs. The larvae develop within the phloem and cambium layers, potentially causing significant damage to host trees.
Pleroneura bruneicornis
Balsam Shootboring Sawfly
Pleroneura bruneicornis is a species of sawfly in the family Xyelidae, commonly known as the Balsam Shootboring Sawfly. The species is associated with Abies (fir) hosts, particularly balsam fir. It belongs to a primitive lineage of Hymenoptera characterized by distinctive larval feeding habits in conifer shoots. The species is rarely observed, with limited occurrence records.
Pristiphora siskiyouensis
Pristiphora siskiyouensis is a sawfly species in the family Tenthredinidae, first described by Marlatt in 1896. The species is part of a genus containing numerous sawfly species, many of which are associated with coniferous hosts. Like other Pristiphora species, it likely exhibits the typical sawfly life cycle with larvae feeding on plant foliage. The specific epithet "siskiyouensis" suggests a connection to the Siskiyou Mountains region of the Pacific Northwest.
Pseudips radiatae
Pseudips radiatae is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. The genus Pseudips is associated with conifer hosts, and the species epithet 'radiatae' suggests an association with Pinus radiata (Monterey pine). Very few observations exist, indicating it is either rare, poorly documented, or restricted in range.
Pytho
dead log beetles, dead log bark beetles
Pytho is a small genus of saproxylic beetles in the family Pythidae, commonly known as dead log beetles or dead log bark beetles. The genus comprises approximately nine to ten described species distributed across the Holarctic region, recognized as typically boreal taxa. Species inhabit the cambial layer of dead trees, particularly conifers, where larvae feed on partially decomposed wood and bark. Several species have disjunct distributions spanning North America, Europe, and Japan, reflecting complex historical biogeographic patterns involving vicariance and dispersal across Beringia. Some species, such as P. abieticola, are considered relicts of primeval forests and are in decline across much of Central Europe.
Semanotus amplus
Semanotus amplus is a species of longhorned beetle (family Cerambycidae) in the tribe Callidiini. It is a wood-boring beetle associated with coniferous hosts, particularly junipers. The species was described by Casey in 1912 and is known from western North America. Field observations indicate it infests living or recently dead wood, with larvae creating galleries in the sapwood. Adults have been encountered at night on host tree trunks.
Semanotus conformis
Semanotus conformis is a species of longhorned beetle (family Cerambycidae) in the tribe Callidiini, described by Casey in 1924. It belongs to a genus of wood-boring beetles that infest conifers, particularly junipers and related Cupressaceae. The species is poorly documented in the available literature, with minimal published information on its biology, distribution, and host associations. Available records suggest it occurs in the western United States.
Steremnius carinatus
conifer seedling weevil
Steremnius carinatus, commonly known as the conifer seedling weevil, is a pest of coniferous seedlings in coastal British Columbia. Adults emerge from stumps and slash approximately two years after logging and girdle young seedlings near the root collar. The species was formerly considered a scavenger but is now recognized as a significant reforestation pest. Adults are unusually long-lived, surviving three or more winters and producing broods annually.
Synanthedon pini
pitch mass borer, Pitch Mass Borer Moth
Synanthedon pini, commonly known as the pitch mass borer, is a clearwing moth in the family Sesiidae. It is found in eastern North America, where it develops in the wood of pine and spruce trees. The larvae create pitch-filled tunnels in the inner bark and sapwood, causing defects in lumber but not killing host trees. Adults are active in mid-summer and have distinctive mostly clear wings.
Tetropium cinnamopterum
Eastern Larch Borer
Tetropium cinnamopterum is a native North American cerambycid beetle in the tribe Tetropiini. Adults are distinguished from the closely related T. parvulum by eye shape, scutellar structure, external genitalia, and pronotal puncture number; larvae are distinguished by urogomphi morphology. The species has been recorded from various conifer hosts, with larvae developing in conifer wood. It is transcontinental in Canada and occurs sympatrically with invasive T. fuscum in Atlantic Canada, where cross-attraction to the aggregation pheromone fuscumol may occur. Both sexes respond to (S)-fuscumol synergized by host monoterpenes and ethanol.
Tetropium velutinum
Western Larch Borer
Tetropium velutinum, commonly known as the Western Larch Borer, is a species of longhorn beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1869. The species is associated with coniferous forests of western North America, particularly with larch trees (Larix spp.) which serve as its larval host. Like other members of the genus Tetropium, adults are typically attracted to recently dead or dying host trees.
Trypophloeus nitidus
Trypophloeus nitidus is a species of bark beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, described by J.M. Swaine in 1912. The genus Trypophloeus comprises bark beetles that tunnel beneath bark of woody plants. As a member of this genus, T. nitidus is associated with coniferous hosts. The species was synonymized under Phymatodes mojavensis by some authors, but Phymatodes mojavensis was subsequently synonymized under Phymatodes nitidus in a 2010 nomenclatural revision by Swift and Ray, which affects the broader taxonomic context of this species. The species is provisionally accepted in current taxonomic databases.
Tuxedo
Tuxedo is a genus of plant bugs in the family Miridae, subfamily Phylinae. The genus was established by Schuh in 2001 and contains approximately seven described species. These mirids are associated with coniferous host plants, particularly pines.
Zadiprion rohweri
Pinyon Pine Sawfly
Zadiprion rohweri, commonly known as the Pinyon Pine Sawfly, is a species of conifer-feeding sawfly in the family Diprionidae. It is associated with pinyon pine (Pinus edulis and related species) in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species was described by Middleton in 1931 and is one of several Zadiprion species specialized on pine hosts. Sawflies in this genus are known for gregarious larval feeding that can cause noticeable defoliation.