Forest Pests: Insects, Diseases & Other Damage Agents

Pityokteines spinidens (Reitt.)

From: Kolk A., Starzyk J. R., 1996: The Atlas of Forest Insect Pests
(Atlas skodliwych owadów lesnych) - Multico Warszawa, 705 pages. Original publication in Polish. English translation provided by Dr. Lidia Sukovata and others under agreement with The Polish Forest Research Institute.

Occurrence: The European species, widespread in the whole range of the common fir distribution.

Host plants: Exclusively on the common fir, very rare on a spruce and larch.

Morphology: Males of P. spinidens are 2-3 mm long, and females are 2-2.6 mm in length. It looks similar to P. curvidens, but differs in the first tooth on the elytral declivity. It is not pointed upward. Hair on the base of elytrae of females is twice longer than on frons. The body is cylindrical, brown.

Biology: Similar to P. curvidens, but infests mainly the middle part of the trees. Galleries are ¨star¨-shaped. Maternal galleries (usually 3-8) are about 1mm wide and 10 cm long. They start from the nuptial chamber and bend in a distance not shorter than 10 mm. Pupal chambers are in the sapwood or between the sapwood and bark.

Damage: Similar to P. curvidens. Usually is of less economic importance.

Preventive measures and control: Similar to P. curvidens.

Diagram, Adult and galleries, Poland Image by Stanislaw Kinelski

Adult(s), Female Image by Stanislaw Kinelski

Galleries Image by Stanislaw Kinelski

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