Long-horned Beetles
What are they?
The long-horned beetles form a relatively large family of sometimes quite formidable insects in the family Cerambicidae. This family contains a number of large beetles, most notable for their often surprisingly long antennae, which tend to be longer in males than in females. The family also includes the flower longhorns; smaller insects with often brightly patterned wing cases that visit flowers in sunny, open locations. Flower longhorns have tapered shapes, narrowing toward the rear end. A handful of species in this family - most notably ones that have been introduced from overseas - have become problematic pests, attacking healthy trees and causing their rapid deaths, but most species feed on already dead or dying trees, while smaller species more typically feed on seeds and other plant material. The family has provided some remarkable longevity records after trees containing longhorn larvae have been felled and the wood used for building materials or furniture. Cases of adults finally emerging from furniture after anything up to 40 years have been described!
Identification
Some of the plainer, dark brown species can be difficult to identify, but most can be worked out with care. It is often necessary to take careful note of details of the legs and antennae.
Brown Prionid Orthosoma brunneum
A richly-colored, chestnut brown species which is typically found in damp woodland.
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Broad-necked Rootborer Prionus laticollis
A common, chunky, blackish beetle found in wooded areas. The large larvae bore into the roots of living trees and shrubs to feed.
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Banded Longhorn Typocerus velutinus
A common species, most often seen feeding at flowers during the summer months. One of the flower longhorns, this is a rather variable species, with the amount of yellow and rust barring on the wing cases being subject to much variation.
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Ivory-marked Longhorn Eburia quadrigeminata
A very attractive species thast inhabits a wide range of deciduous woodland types. Adults are most often seen when they occasionally get attracted to light at night.
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Spined Oak Borer Elaphidion mucronatum
The long spines on the legs and antennae help to identify this species from other, similar-looking species.
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Hesperophanes pubescens
A reddish-brown species with much of this color masked by a dense covering of tan-colored hairs.
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Sternidius alpha
A very variable species, but adults are usually a mix of gray-brown and reddish-brown and often have a dark, oblique line across the wing cases.
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Aegomorphus modestus
A common species that inhabits a wide range of both evergreen and deciduous woodland types. Adults are most often seen when they occasionally get attracted to light at night.
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Oak Sapling Borer Goes tesselatus
An overall gray species with very long antennae and a distinctive pattern of pale spotting on the wing coverts.
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Round-headed Apple-tree Borer Saperda candida
A very attractive and unmistakable species which specializes in feeding on the decaying wood of members of the rose family.
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Elm Borer Saperda tridentata
The pattern on this species remains more or less constant but the width of red bands can vary. This species feeds on the wood of elm trees which are uncommon in Cape May County. It is possible that locally this species feeds on Siberian Elm.
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