by Kate Redmond
Beetles without Bios
Howdy, BugFans,
The Long-horned beetle family Cerambycidae is a large family that contains some spectacular beetles https://bugguide.net/node/view/650903/bgimage, https://bugguide.net/node/view/1530355/bgimag, https://bugguide.net/node/view/674692/bgimage, https://bugguide.net/node/view/2477001/bgimage, https://bugguide.net/node/view/1247649/bgimage, and https://bugguide.net/node/view/1726357/bgpage. It includes some lunkers https://bugguide.net/node/view/1999687/bgimage, and https://bugguide.net/node/view/1870835/bgimage, and some with shorter antennae that are pretty impressive, too https://bugguide.net/node/view/2482461/bgimage (so many cool beetles……). Bugguide.net says that there are “1000 spp. in 300+ genera in our area(1), >11,300 spp. in almost 2,000 genera in the Western Hemisphere(2) and >30,000 spp. in >5000 genera worldwide.”
Thirty thousand-plus species of Long-horned beetles worldwide is a lot of species to keep track of, so it’s no surprise that, unless they are “pest species,” the biographies of many species are incomplete/barely there. In general, Cerambycids are classified as decomposers and recyclers. Some have a tendency to be a bit nippy when handled.
LONG-HORNED BEETLE #1 Etorofus subhamatus https://bugguide.net/node/view/2139593/bgimage is a member of the Flower longhorn subfamily Lepturinae. Lepturines are typically slim and long-legged, with a narrow thorax and wedge-shaped elytra (hard wing covers) that give some an exaggerated “big shouldered” look https://bugguide.net/node/view/1403664/bgimage. Male and female Lepturines may be different colors – an unusual trait in a family where the length of the antennae is often the best way to tell males from females. Lepturines are often found on flowers, where nectar is sweet and pollen is high in protein, and where they are considered minor pollinators. One author said that the Flower longhorns are especially fond of plants in the carrot family.
Only one source listed a common name for Etorofus subhamatus – the Hemlock long-horned beetle (there are no hemlock trees where the BugLady found it but pine is an alternative food plant). They are found in mixed and coniferous woods in eastern North America where their larvae bore beneath the bark of dead and dying trees, eating wood and friendly wood fungi that help them break down the cellulose. They are not considered pests because the trees are already going or gone.
LONG-HORNED BEETLE #2, Clytus ruricola (also no common name), is in the subfamily Cerambycinae, the round-necked longhorns (so-named because of their rounded pronotum, the first segment of the thorax). Of the eight genus members in North America, it has the largest range, and six of the eight genus members are western. It’s about a half-inch long and is a wasp mimic (visually) that enhances its performance by making a buzzing sound with its wings when it flies. Like some other Cerambycids, it can stridulate (make noise via friction) by rubbing the bottom surface of its head against its thorax. Says Tim Eisele in his “Backyard Arthropod Project” blog, “when I held it, I could feel it vibrating as it moved its head up and down in a nodding motion, and if I held it next to my ear I could hear a faint “eeeeee-eeeeee-eeeeee-eeeee” noise”.
The larvae of Clytus ruricola make burrows (galleries) in decaying deciduous trees (fallen or cut) – they are especially fond of maple – and the tunnels they make set the stage for decomposition by allowing water and fungal spores to get into the dead wood.
That’s all, Folks!
The BugLady would be remiss if she didn’t mention the floodwater mosquitoes. In case you haven’t been in the field in the past week, the torrential rains of a few weeks ago have faded and the rivers are receding, but the heat-plus-rain created the perfect storm for floodwater mosquitoes. The BugLady visited a local nature preserve a few days ago. It was OK when she was out on the prairie, but the second she passed by any woody vegetation tall enough to create shade, she was engulfed by a cloud of mosquitoes that was aimed at her face (and, of course, they have to get really close to be repelled by the insect repellant). Here’s their story https://uwm.edu/field-station/bug-of-the-week/floodwater-mosquito-an-homage/.
Kate Redmond, The BugLady
Bug of the Week archives:
http://uwm.edu/field-station/category/bug-of-the-week/