Chalcophora virginiesis, Sculptured Pine Borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

Austin McKay, Carlton, Christopher E.

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Description

The sculptured pine borer, Chalcophora virginiensis, is a member of the order Coleoptera in the family Buprestidae. This is the largest metallic wood-boring beetle in eastern North America. Adult sculptured pine borers may reach 30 mm in length. Adults are metallic bronze in color with a rough surface texture. The antennae are short and slender. Like other beetles, the sculptured pine borer has elytra, which are rigid, modified forewings that provide protection for the abdomen and cover the subelytral space. The second pair of membranous wings (flight wings) are folded beneath the elytra. The sculptured pine borer larvae are yellowish white with a darker, flat, wide hammerhead formed by the thorax just to the rear of the small head. The larvae are prominently segmented and taper toward the rear of the body. They may reach 50 mm in length when fully developed.

The sculptured pine borer is one of five species described in the genus Chalcophora in North America. In Louisiana, the range of the southern sculptured pine borer (Chalcophora georgiana) overlaps with that of the sculptured pine borer (Chalcophora virginiensis). Separating specimens of the two species requires examination of the tips of the elytra, and their basic life histories are identical.

Life Cycle

The sculptured pine borer undergoes four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult (holometaboly), as with all beetles. Females lay eggs in cracks and crevices of dying or recently dead trees. Development requires around two weeks before the larvae hatch. Larvae tunnel through trunks and branches of dead or dying pine trees, eventually reaching the heartwood. They require one to three years of development and undergo numerous growth stages (instars) separated by molting events. Only larvae feed on wood, which is digested and converted to nutrients by symbiotic gut microbes. The final larval molt produces the pupal stage, which occurs within a chamber deep inside the tree trunk. The pupal stage transitions to the adult stage after a few weeks, but development varies with temperature, with longer durations or overwintering during cold weather. The pupa molts once into the adult, which then chew their way out of the tree, creating an oval exit hole. Adults typically emerge during late spring and summer in Louisiana and feed on buds and needles of conifers. During this period, adults fly during the daytime to find mates and appropriate host trees on which to lay eggs.

Ecological Significance

The sculptured pine borer is common throughout eastern United States and southeastern Canada. As with the majority of wood-boring beetles, the species does not damage healthy trees. Sculptured pine borer larvae contribute to the initial decomposition of dead wood as part of a vast diversity of organisms referred to as saproxylic. These organisms expedite the breakdown of wood and eventually its role in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient cycles.

The large size and nutritional value of both larva and adult sculptured pine borers make them valuable forage for insect feeding birds and small mammals, particularly woodpeckers in pursuit of wood boring beetles.

Pest Status

Sculptured pine borers are not considered serious pests of forests, although their tunneling activities can damage wood intended for lumber if trees are not harvested promptly after cutting. The species may infest trees as a secondary pest following damage by primary forest pests and immediate salvage removal of valuable stands is required to prevent further damage.

Since the larvae may remain in lumber for a considerable period after milling, adults may occasionally emerge in homes built from improperly cured lumber. Woodpecker damage has been reported to wooden utility poles that still harbor beetle larvae.

References

  • Houseman, R. 2010. Wood-Boring Beetles. University of Missouri Extension Service Publication 7422. (accessed 17 February 2025).
  • Maier, C., and M. Ivie. 2013. Reevaluation of Chalcophora angulicollis (LeConte) and Chalcophora virginiensis (Drury) with a review and key to the North American species of Chalcophora (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). The Coleopterists Bulletin 67: 457–469.
  • Sculptured Pine Borer. 2022. Harmony Hill. (accessed 17 February 2025).

ChalcophoraSValleyBWood.jpg thumbnail

Adult sculptured pine borer, Chalcophora virginiensis (Steven Valley, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org).

a curled larvae laying on a tree

Chalcophora mariana larva (typical of the genus Chalcophora) in pine tree trunk (Stanislaw Kinelski, Bugwood.org).

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6/13/2025

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6/17/2025 7:32:18 PM
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