Pissodes

a genus of beetles of the family Curculionidae. The body, which is 4–10 mm long, is black and ornamented with light-colored scales. The beetles are distributed in coniferous forests in Europe, Asia, and North America. There are 12 species in the USSR. Many species feed on the bark of shoots, branches, and stems of conifers, causing a disease known as re-sinosis. The larvae gnaw passages under the bark, causing the trees to dry. Pissodes validirostris develops in pine cones.