Pheromone-response
Guides
Cryptolestes pusillus
Flat Grain Beetle, Red Flat Grain Beetle
Cryptolestes pusillus, commonly known as the flat grain beetle or red flat grain beetle, is a species of lined flat bark beetle in the family Laemophloeidae. Native to Europe, it has become a cosmopolitan pest of stored grain products. The species is frequently studied as a model organism for stored product pest management and biological control research, serving as prey for predatory bugs and host for parasitoid wasps.
Nemozoma
Nemozoma is a genus of beetles in the family Trogossitidae, historically spelled as Nemosoma. The genus contains species distributed across Europe, North America, and South America. Nemozoma elongatum in Central Europe is a documented predator of bark beetles, particularly Pityogenes chalcographus and Taphrorychus bicolor. Some species exhibit morphological specializations including shortened elytra and cranial projections.
Teretriosoma
clown beetles
Teretriosoma is a genus of clown beetles in the family Histeridae, established by Horn in 1873. The genus comprises approximately 11 described species distributed primarily in the Americas. One species, Teretriosoma nigrescens, has been extensively studied as a biological control agent against the larger grain borer Prostephanus truncatus, a major pest of stored maize and cassava in Africa and Latin America. Members of this genus are small predatory beetles associated with decomposing organic matter and stored products.
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.
Thanasimus undatulus
Wavy Checkered Beetle
Thanasimus undatulus is a species of checkered beetle (family Cleridae) known as the Wavy Checkered Beetle. It is a documented predator of bark beetles, specifically the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis). The species responds to synthetic pheromones used by its prey, particularly frontalin. It occurs in North America and Central America.