Giant-sequoia

Guides

• Phloeosinus punctatus

  western cedar bark beetle

  Phloeosinus punctatus is a bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, known as the western cedar bark beetle. The species colonizes giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and California incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Females initiate gallery construction and mate monogamously. The beetle undergoes four larval instars, typically producing one generation per year under natural conditions. It has been observed to contribute to branch mortality in giant sequoia, particularly when trees are under environmental stress.

  bark-beetleScolytinaegiant-sequoiaCupressaceaeSierra-NevadaCalifornia-endemicforest-pestmonogamous-matinghost-preferencecryptic-speciationbranch-mortalitydrought-stressclimate-change-vulnerability