The forests of the northern Rocky Mountains are hosts of nine species of Nearctic conifer-infesting bark beetles of the genus Scolytus Geoffroy. One of these, Scolytus piceae Swaine (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), infests spruces across the continent including Picea engelmannii Parry (Pinaceae) in Idaho. Mature larvae overwintered before transforming to adults, which infested new hosts in early June. Scolytus piceae most commonly infested shaded out lower branches of mature live spruce. In sporadic wind-felled spruce, the beetle infested the terminal portion of branches throughout the crown, whereas another Scolytinae, Polygraphus rufipennis (Kirby), infested the thicker bark basal portion of the same branches. This niche separation resulted from difference in time of their dispersal flight and ability of S. piceae to colonize thin bark by engraving the underlying sapwood. Population recruitment of S. piceae was low in shaded out lower branches, in balance with this limited host resource. Features of the head of S. piceae larvae differed from that reported in literature, including the mandible dentition, antennal field, and pattern of setae on the postlabium.
Keywords: Scolytus piceae; biology; larva morphology.
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