Longhorned Beetles: Cerambycidae
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With few exceptions, the approximately one thousand North American longhorned beetle species (Cerambycidae) go about their days without much notice.
Like leaf beetles, adults and larvae feed on plant material, including trees, which places them in the category of insect pests.
While the presence of many longhorn species in an areas constitutes more of an annoyance rather than a major agricultural or commercial problem, the few noteworthy exceptions continue to interest professionals.
The Asian Longhorned Beetle, for example, a non-native species, ranks among the most dangerous of the longhorn beetles. Its larval diet consists of hardwood trees and it does not have any natural predators. Without proper control, an outbreak could easily destroy a hardwood forest.
Homeowners might be aware of the old-house borer (Hylotrupes bajulus), a dull looking species, whose larvae are known to make home in residential areas.
Approximately nine out of ten native longhorn beetles fit into one of three different subfamilies: Cerambycinae, Lepturinae (Flower Longhorns) and Lamiinae (Flat-Faced Longhorns).
Agricultural pest management drives most longhorn beetle identification projects. Secondarily, beetle collectors rank Cerambycidae high because of their often colorful bodies.
With over four hundred species, Cerambycidae also ranks as the most diverse longhorned beetle subfamily.
The top picture shows Ancylocera bicolor, a nice looking black and red bodied Southeast Cerambycidae species. Males grow especially long antenna.
Another colorful Cerambycidae, the Mesquite Borer (placosternus-difficilis), resides in Mesquite areas of the Southwest.
Mesquite Borer larvae also adapt to a handful of trees, including citrus trees, which extends their range across most of southern North America.
Flower Longhorns account for about twenty percent of North American longhorn beetles. The video shows the Yellow Velvet Longhorn Beetle, a common Western species.
Whether collecting by picture or physically collecting species, one good identification rule of thumb starts with having either a native species book or internet resource.
Matching the beetle's physical characteristics such as leg color and wing pattern, along with the location it is found, provide good starting points for flipping through the pages of species in the chosen identification guide.
The links in the box on the right point to longhorn species, and it is heavily weighed to flower longhorns, whose larvae often feed on dead or already decaying wood, with adults nectaring on flowers.
It's important to note that many longhorn species outside the flower longhorns, nectar on flowers. Additionally, flower longhorns can also be found apart from flowers. Therefore, when attempting to identify a species, relying on its place of discovery only provides an approximate identification starting point.
© 2009-2011 Patricia A. Michaels