What is "bark beetle"

Bark beetle \Bark" bee`tle\ (Zo["o]l.) A small beetle of many species (family Scolytid[ae]), which in the larval state bores under or in the bark of trees, often doing great damage.

n. any of various beetles, of the subfamily ''Scolytinae'', many of which reproduce in the inner bark of trees

n. small beetle that bores tunnels in the bark and wood of trees; related to weevils

A bark beetle is one of about 220 genera with 6,000 species of beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae. Traditionally, this was considered a distinct family Scolytidae, but is now understood to be very specialized members of the "true weevil" family ( Curculionidae). Well-known species are members of the type genus Scolytus, namely the European elm bark beetle S. multistriatus and the large elm bark beetle S. scolytus, which like the American elm bark beetle Hylurgopinus rufipes, transmit Dutch elm disease fungi (Ophiostoma). The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae, southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis, and their near relatives are major pests of conifer forests in North America. A similarly aggressive species in Europe is the spruce ips Ips typographus. A tiny bark beetle, the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei is a major pest on coffee plantations around the world.