 Newly described pine beetle, Dendroctonus mesoamericanus, initiating a mine into the bark of a healthy pine tree in Chiapas, Mexico. The beetle is clearing liquid resin being released by the tree as a defensive reaction to prevent beetle entry. Hundreds of attacks like this one by this species and its close relative the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, can deplete the resin and cause rapid death of the tree. Once the tree is dead, the beetles feed and reproduce within the bark. USDA Forest Service | Snapshot : A newly discovered species of tree killing bark beetle in Central America, Dendroctonus mesoamericanus, has been recently described by an international team of scientists, including Forest Service research entomologist Brian Sullivan. The team provided critical information needed to manage the insect, which may be responsible for catastrophic damage to Mexican and Central American pine forests. It represents a previously unrecognized invasive threat to forestry in the U.S.
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