Dendroctonus frontalis, the southern pine beetle, is a species of bark beetle

Bark beetle

A bark beetle is one of approximately 220 genera with 6,000 species of beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae. Traditionally, this was considered a distinct family Scolytidae, but now it is understood that bark beetles are in fact very specialized members of the "true weevil" family...

 native to the forests of southern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 and Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

. It has a hard reddish brown to black exoskeleton and measures approximately 3 mm (0.118110236220472 in), about the size of a grain of rice. It is short-legged, the front of its head is notched and the hind of its body is round.

Tree infestations

Dendroctonus frontalis inhabits several Pinus species. Host trees in the United States include primarily P. taeda, P. echinata, P. elliottii, P. virginiana, P. rigida, P. palustris, P. serotina, P. pungens and P. strobes, P. ponderosa, P. engelmannii and P. leiophylla. Host trees in Central America include P. caribaea, P. engelmannii, P. leiophylla, P. maximinoi

Pinus maximinoi

Pinus maximinoi, commonly known as Thinleaf Pine, is a species of conifer in the Pinaceae family.It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico at elevations of . P. maximinoi reaches a height of and has smooth bark when young....

and P. oocarpa

Pinus oocarpa

Pinus oocarpa is a species of pine tree native to Mexico and Central America. It is the national tree of Honduras, where it is known as Ocote. Common names include Pino Amarillo, Pino Avellano, Mexican Yellow Pine, and Hazelnut Pine...

. In the south-eastern United States it is considered one of the most important causes of economic loss in forestry.