Leptoglossus occidentalis (Hemiptera, Coreidae), a Newly Discovered Pest of Coniferous Seed

Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, found in forested areas from southern British Columbia southward to Mexico and from Colorado westward to the Pacific Coast, has been observed to feed on the cones and staminate strobili of Douglas-fir and several species of pine. Experimentally, the insect has been reared from the egg to the adult stage on seeds of 12 California confiers, including nearly all the pines and firs of commercial importance. Seeds fed upon exhibit a characteristic shrinking and spongy degeneration of the endosperm. In heavily damaged seeds almost all endosperm tissue is destroyed; light feeding is believed to impair the ability of the seeds to germinate, but germination tests have thus far been inconclusive. Samples of Douglas-fir seed collected in areas where this bug is abundant showed up to 41% shrunken endosperm.