Western Balsam Bark Beetle vs Dusky Click Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Balsam Bark Beetle Dusky Click Beetle
Scientific Name Dryocoetes confusus Agriotes obscurus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Curculionidae (Scolytinae) Elateridae
Size 3.2–4.5 mm 7-9 mm
Habitat Mountains Farmland
Diet Wood Feeders Root Feeders
Regions Western North America Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Western Balsam Bark Beetle

A bark beetle that primarily attacks subalpine fir in western North America. It often colonizes trees already weakened by root disease.

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Did You Know?

It produces a pheromone called exo-brevicomin that attracts other beetles to mass-attack weakened trees.

Dusky Click Beetle

A dull dark brown click beetle with dense pubescence and subtle elytral striations. The larvae are significant wireworm pests that attack the roots of cereals, potatoes, and other crops.

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Did You Know?

This species is particularly problematic in land recently converted from grassland to arable cultivation.