Ips cembrae

Ips cembrae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Superfamily:	Curculionoidea
Family:	Curculionidae
Genus:	Ips
Species:	I. cembrae
Binomial name
Ips cembrae Heer 1836

Ips cembrae, known generally as larch bark beetle or eight-toothed larch bark beetle, is a species of typical bark beetle in the family Curculionidae. Its habitat is Euro-Siberian, ranging from sea level to sub-alpine.² It was first recorded in Great Britain in 1955.³ Populations were said to be found in Japan and China, but further research determined that those were actually Ips subelongatus.⁴

The insect measures around 5 mm and has a dark brown to black colour. The species is considered hard to distinguish visually from Ips typographus.⁴

Ips cembrae is native to most of its habitat and is considered less of a pest risk than Ips typographus.¹ The beetle mainly affects the European larch, Larix decidua, especially during periods of drought.³⁵ Besides damage from digging tunnels, the beetle also spreads fungi between trees.

The species can be infected by several nematodes: Contortylenchus, Parasitylenchus, Cryptaphelenchus, and Parasitorhabditis endoparasites, Micoletzkya under the wings as phoretic parasites. Laimaphelenchus and Bursaphelenchus are found in the frass.⁶