Spotted Tree Borer Beetle

The pesky Spotted Tree Borer Beetle attacks trees at the larval stage, making sick trees even sicker.

The white and black Spotted Tree Borer has complementary bands on its antennae. The freckled wing coverings each have two irregular black marks bordered in white. Eggs for the Spotted Tree Borer are laid by females on a variety of weakened trees like oak, maple, willow, apple, pear, and poplar. Larvae hatch and begin tunneling into the bark and eventually the heartwood, leaving trails of frass (feces and wood shavings) in their wake. The tunnels break into the cambium tissue and this causes the tree to leak sap. Trees that were already weak from things like severe drought or other infestations can die. The beetles are also found in dead trees that may eventually become firewood or furniture. Spotted Tree Borer adults emerge from the wood in spring or fall, sometimes from a stack of freshly cut firewood.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Cerambycidae

Genus: Synaphaeta

Species: guexi

Identifying Information

Scientific Name: Synaphaeta guexi

Category: Beetle

Size (Adult; Length): 9mm to 25mm (0.35in to 0.98in)

Colors: white; black; gray

Descriptors: spots, bands, hairy, harmful, flying

Territorial Map

Alaska

Hawaii

Prince Edward Is.

Canadian territory of British Columbia graphic

Canadian territory of Saskatchewan graphic

Contiguous United States shape map layer graphic

Territorial Reach (A-to-Z)

Newfoundland and Labrador

Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.

Beetle Anatomy

Graphic showing basic anatomy of a common North American Beetle insect

Antennae: Beetles have a pair of antennae on the head used as sensors.

Head: The head is home to the insect's eyes, antennae, and mandibles (jaws).

Thorax: Holds the three pairs of legs as well as vital internal organs.

Elytron: One of two wing cases on a Beetle that protects its wings (plural: elytra).

Wings: Appendages used for flying and kept under the elytra until needed.

Abdomen: Houses organs related to circulation, reproduction, and excretion.

Legs: Beetles have three pairs of legs located at the thorax, numbering six legs in all.

Spotted Tree Borer Beetle (Synaphaeta guexi)

The pesky Spotted Tree Borer Beetle attacks trees at the larval stage, making sick trees even sicker.