Mountain Pine Beetle vs Western Bushtail Caddisfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mountain Pine Beetle Western Bushtail Caddisfly
Scientific Name Dendroctonus ponderosae Gumaga nigricula
Order Coleoptera Trichoptera
Family Curculionidae Sericostomatidae
Size 4-7 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Detritivores
Regions North America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Mountain Pine Beetle

A small dark brown bark beetle that bores into pine trees to lay eggs beneath the bark. Massive outbreaks have devastated millions of hectares of North American forests.

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Did You Know?

Mountain pine beetles carry blue stain fungi that block water transport in trees, turning the wood a distinctive blue-gray color.

Western Bushtail Caddisfly

A western North American caddisfly that constructs smooth cylindrical cases from fine sand. Larvae are leaf-shredders in forested streams.

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Did You Know?

Larvae migrate upstream as they grow, compensating for the downstream drift they experienced as young instars.