Scolytus multistriatus

Scolytus multistriatus, the European elm bark beetle or smaller European elm bark beetle, is a bark beetle species in the genus Scolytus. In Europe it acts as a vector of Dutch elm disease, which is caused by the ascomycete fungus Ophiostoma ulmi, although it is much less effective in that role than the large elm bark beetle, Scolytus scolytus. When it looks for a host tree in which to lay its eggs, the beetle uses vanillin and syringaldehyde as chemical signals. The species is therefore known mainly for its role in the spread of Dutch elm disease and for the chemical cues it follows to find host trees.