In carrying out a nonlocal analysis of drift cyclotron loss cone (DCLC) modes in a cylindrically symmetric plasma, a new dispersion relation branch not described by local theories has been found. The model assumes a low‐&bgr; plasma column with a Gaussian density profile in a uniform magnetic field. The exactk‐space integral equation is solved using a Laguerre polynomial decomposition of the eigenfunctions. It is these new modes that couple with the diamagnetic drift wave to form unstable DCLC modes, a phenomenon not predicted by local theory. The existence of these modes requires a proper treatment of the spatial variation of the equilibrium distribution function describing the ions.