Semiochemicals
Guides
Boisea rubrolineata
Western Boxelder Bug
Boisea rubrolineata, the western boxelder bug, is a scentless plant bug native to western North America, ranging west of the Continental Divide. This species is a specialist herbivore primarily associated with boxelder maple (Acer negundo), feeding on both pollen from staminate trees and seeds from pistillate trees. Distinguished from its eastern counterpart B. trivittata by prominent red veins on the corium, it exhibits complex semiochemical-mediated behaviors including aggregation and host foraging. The species undergoes incomplete metamorphosis and seeks sheltered overwintering sites in autumn, often becoming a nuisance pest when entering human structures.
Crioceris duodecimpunctata
Spotted Asparagus Beetle
A small leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, Crioceris duodecimpunctata is a significant invasive pest of asparagus cultivations. Adults feed on tender shoots and leaves, while larvae develop exclusively on asparagus berries. The species is widespread across the Palearctic region and has been introduced to North America. Molecular studies confirm its status as a sister taxon to C. quatuordecimpunctata, with both species originating nearly simultaneously from a common ancestor.
Dendroctonus adjunctus
roundheaded pine beetle
Dendroctonus adjunctus, commonly known as the roundheaded pine beetle, is a bark beetle native to North America that infests and kills pine trees. Adults are 5–6 mm long with shiny, dark brown to black exoskeletons covered in hairs. The species has a one-year life cycle, with adults colonizing weakened pine trees in autumn, constructing extensive egg galleries in the cambium and phloem. Outbreaks can be devastating, killing up to 50% of pines in pure stands. The beetle is distributed across the southwestern United States and Mexico, and is considered a serious pest of commercial and wild pine stocks.
Dendroctonus jeffreyi
Jeffrey pine beetle
Dendroctonus jeffreyi is a bark beetle in the family Curculionidae, subfamily Scolytinae, endemic to western North America. The species is monophagous on Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), feeding on phloem and causing significant tree mortality during outbreak conditions. Adults bore into bark to create egg chambers, with larvae developing in galleries under the bark. The beetle possesses specialized mycangia for transporting the symbiotic fungus Ophiostoma clavigerum, which contributes to tree mortality. Populations show genetic structure across their range, with southern California populations most differentiated.
Dendroctonus mexicanus
Mexican bark beetle
Dendroctonus mexicanus is a bark beetle native to Mexico and Central America, recognized as the most widely distributed and destructive bark beetle in Mexico. It colonizes more than 21 pine species and causes significant tree mortality in coniferous forests. The species' population dynamics are strongly influenced by climate variables, particularly temperature and precipitation, with outbreak risk increasing under warmer, drier conditions. It is considered a major forest pest affecting wood supply and ecosystem services.
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pseudotsugae
Douglas-fir beetle, Douglas fir beetle
The Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae) is a bark beetle native to western North America and a major pest of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Adults are small (4.4–7 mm), light brown when young, darkening to brown or black with reddish wing covers. Outbreaks typically follow disturbances such as storms, fire, or drought, which provide stressed or dead host trees. The species has one of the most thoroughly studied pheromone systems among bark beetles, with operational use of its antiaggregation pheromone (MCH) to protect high-value trees developed over 40 years of research. The beetle also infests downed western larch (Larix occidentalis), though brood do not survive in live larch due to high 3-carene content.
Dendroctonus rufipennis
spruce beetle, great spruce bark beetle
Dendroctonus rufipennis, the spruce beetle, is a bark beetle native to North America and a major pest of spruce forests. Adults measure 4–7 mm in length and are among the larger bark beetles in spruce. The species undergoes a facultative life cycle of 1, 2, or 3 years, with 2-year cycles being most common. Outbreaks have caused extensive tree mortality across western North America, particularly affecting Engelmann and white spruce. Climate warming and drought stress are key factors driving population increases.
Diaeretiella
Diaeretiella is a monotypic genus of parasitoid wasps in the family Braconidae, subfamily Aphidiinae. The sole species, Diaeretiella rapae, is a cosmopolitan koinobiont endoparasitoid of aphids with documented occurrence in 87 countries. It has been recorded parasitizing approximately 98 aphid species across more than 180 plant species in 43 plant families, with particular association to cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) on cruciferous crops. The genus is recognized as an important biological control agent in integrated pest management systems.
Hydatophylax argus
Argus Northern Caddisfly
Hydatophylax argus is a species of northern caddisfly in the family Limnephilidae. It was described by Harris in 1869 and is found in North America. The species is notable as the first member of its genus demonstrated to use sex pheromones for mate attraction.
Liometopum apiculatum
Escamolera Ant, Velvet Tree Ant
Liometopum apiculatum is a Neotropical dolichoderine ant with significant ecological and economic importance. Colonies are large and polydomous, ranging from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands of workers. The species is notable for its distinctive carton-like nest construction and its role as a traditional food source in Mexico, where the larvae and pupae (escamoles) are harvested. It inhabits diverse arid and semi-arid vegetation types across southwestern North America.
Mallodon
hardwood stump borer
Mallodon is a genus of prionine longhorned beetles in the family Cerambycidae. The genus contains approximately eight described species distributed across the Americas, with M. dasystomus being the most widely studied and geographically extensive. Species in this genus are characterized by large body size, prominent mandibles, and association with hardwood hosts. The genus was established by Lacordaire in 1830.
Pityophthorus
Pityophthorus is a large genus of bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, containing more than 540 described species. The genus is characterized by its association with coniferous and hardwood host trees, with species distributed across North America, Europe, and other regions. Some species, such as P. juglandis (the walnut twig beetle), are significant forest pests that vector pathogenic fungi causing tree diseases.
Pityophthorus juglandis
Walnut Twig Beetle
Pityophthorus juglandis is an invasive bark beetle native to the southwestern United States and Mexico that vectors the fungal pathogen Geosmithia morbida, causing thousand cankers disease in walnut trees. The beetle measures approximately 1.5 mm in length and is among the few Pityophthorus species associated with hardwoods. Research has focused extensively on its chemical ecology, including the male-produced aggregation pheromone 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol and potential semiochemical repellents for management. The species exhibits strong host discrimination during flight, preferentially landing on Juglans species while avoiding most non-host hardwoods.
Strategus aloeus
ox beetle, Aloeus ox beetle
Strategus aloeus is a large rhinoceros beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, native to the Americas. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism and male polymorphism, with "major" males possessing three prominent thoracic horns resembling Triceratops, while "minor" males have reduced horns and females bear only a small horn used for digging. Adults are nocturnal and attracted to lights. The species has been documented as a significant pest of young oil palm crops in Latin America, where population dynamics are strongly influenced by plantation management practices.
Tomicus
pine shoot beetles
Tomicus is a genus of bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, described by Pierre André Latreille in 1802. The genus contains at least seven recognized species, including economically significant forest pests such as T. piniperda, T. minor, T. destruens, and T. yunnanensis. These beetles are commonly known as pine shoot beetles due to their distinctive life history involving feeding on pine shoots before trunk colonization. Several species have caused substantial mortality in pine forests across Europe, the Mediterranean region, and southwestern China, with T. yunnanensis described as unusually aggressive in its native range.
Trissolcus brochymenae
Trissolcus brochymenae is a tiny parasitoid wasp in the family Scelionidae, known primarily as an egg parasitoid of stink bugs (Pentatomidae). The species has been documented parasitizing eggs of the rough stink bug genus Brochymena in North America, and has been studied for its responses to host semiochemicals and plant surface chemistry. Research indicates that its foraging behavior is influenced by synomones adsorbed onto leaf epicuticular waxes, with chemical cues from host feeding and oviposition activity playing critical roles in host location and recognition.