The beetle Pycnomerus blackburni, Hetschko, was discovered in decayed heart-wood of living radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don). It is the first record of attack in a conifer. There is evidence that a number of generations of the beetle can live within the decayed heartwood of a living tree without adult emergence from the host. The beetle was the secondary agent in destruction of the wood. It is of little economic importance to the Australian timber industry.