Ips
Guides
Ips borealis
Northern Engraver Beetle
Ips borealis is a bark beetle species in the family Curculionidae, commonly known as the Northern Engraver Beetle. It is found in North America, with records from Canadian provinces including Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and New Brunswick. As a member of the genus Ips, it belongs to a group of beetles known as engraver beetles that tunnel beneath tree bark, creating distinctive gallery patterns. The species was described by J.M. Swaine in 1911.
Margaiostus grandicollis
Fivespined engraver beetle
Margaiostus grandicollis is a bark beetle species historically known as the fivespined engraver. The species has been reclassified from the genus Ips to Margaiostus within the family Elateridae, though it was long treated as a member of Curculionidae (Scolytinae). It attacks coniferous trees, particularly pines, and has been documented in eastern North America. The species is known for its gallery-building behavior beneath bark and its association with stressed or dying trees.
Thanasimus dubius
dubious checkered beetle, American bark beetle destroyer, checkered beetle predator, Wavering Checkered Beetle
Thanasimus dubius is a predatory checkered beetle (Cleridae) native to North and Central America. It specializes in preying upon bark beetles, particularly species in the genera Ips and Dendroctonus, with the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) being a well-documented prey item. Adults exhibit a stereotyped five-act predatory sequence involving search/ambush, seizure, alignment, consumption, and grooming. The species demonstrates chemotactic responses to bark beetle pheromones and tree volatiles, and shows regional genetic differentiation across its eastern North American range. It has been investigated as a potential biological control agent for forest pest management.