The wing covers are striated with rows of shallow punctures. Adult shothole borers drill holes, such as might be made by small shot, in the bark and wood of twigs, branches, and trunks of infested trees. The holes usually occur in clusters and may be either entrance or exit holes. Entrance holes are often near a lenticel and thus can be identified. Larval galleries leave the main tunnel and radiate out across the grain.
Galleries are easily visible when the bark of infested trees is removed.
Shothole borer damage usually is limited to weak, declining trees, and borer infestations frequently hasten tree or limb death. Beetles are rarely the primary cause of death. When borers are abundant, they will occasionally attack apparently healthy trees nearby. Attacks on healthy trees may be evident on small twigs where adults bore in or around buds. This injury usually is indicated by small droplets of gum exuding from the tiny, round feeding sites.