Longhorn beetle

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Cerambycidae
Temporal range: Aptian–Recent
Batus barbicornis MHNT femelle.jpg
Batus barbicornis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Superfamily: Chrysomeloidea
Family: Cerambycidae
Latreille, 1802  [1]
Subfamilies

Eight; see text

The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns (whose larvae are often referred to as roundheaded borers), are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described. [2]

Contents

Most species are characterized by antennae as long as or longer than the beetle's body. A few species have short antennae (e.g., Neandra brunnea ), making them difficult to distinguish from related families such as Chrysomelidae. "Cerambycidae" comes from a Greek mythological figure: after an argument with nymphs, the shepherd Cerambus is transformed into a large beetle with horns.

Longhorn beetles are found on all continents except Antarctica. [3]

Description

Other than the typical long antennal length, the most consistently distinctive feature of adults of this family is that the antennal sockets are located on low tubercles on the face; other beetles with long antennae lack these tubercles, and cerambycids with short antennae still possess them. They otherwise vary greatly in size, shape, sculpture, and coloration. A number of species mimic ants, bees, and wasps, though a majority of species are cryptically colored. The titan beetle (Titanus giganteus) from northeastern South America is often considered the largest insect (though not the heaviest, and not the longest including legs), with a maximum known body length of just over 16.7 cm (6.6 in). [4]

Larvae are 0.5–22 cm (0.20–8.66 in) long, elongate in shape and lightly sclerotised. The prothorax is often enlarged and the sides of the body have lateral swellings (ampullae). The head is usually retracted into the prothorax and bears well-sclerotised mouthparts. Larval legs range from moderately developed to absent. The spiracles are always annular. [5]

The larva of the fig-tree borer, Phryneta spinator, has the shape typical of larvae of Cerambycidae, straight and legless, termed apodous eruciform, but on some of its segments it has swellings that aid in locomotion, especially in the tunnels it chews through wood. Fig-tree borer larva Phryneta spinator 2126.JPG
The larva of the fig-tree borer, Phryneta spinator , has the shape typical of larvae of Cerambycidae, straight and legless, termed apodous eruciform, but on some of its segments it has swellings that aid in locomotion, especially in the tunnels it chews through wood.

Biology

Eburia quadrigeminata, the Ivory Marked Borer Ivory-marked Borer - 07.17.21 - sized.jpg
Eburia quadrigeminata , the Ivory Marked Borer

Diet

All known longhorn beetle larvae feed on plant tissue such as stems, trunks, or roots of both herbaceous and woody plants, often in injured or weak trees. [6] A few species are serious pests. The larvae, called roundheaded borers, bore into wood, where they can cause extensive damage to either living trees or untreated lumber (or, occasionally, to wood in buildings; the old-house borer, Hylotrupes bajulus, is a particular problem indoors).

Many longhorns locate and recognize potential hosts by detecting chemical attractants, including monoterpenes (compounds released en masse by woody plants when stressed), ethanol (another compound emitted by damaged plant material), and even bark beetle pheromones. Many scolytine weevils share the cerambycid's niche of weakened or recently deceased trees; thus, by locating scolytinids, a suitable host can likely be located as well. The arrival of cerambycid larvae is often detrimental to a population of scolytinids, as the cerambycid larvae will typically either outcompete them with their greater size and mobility, or act as direct predators of them (this latter practice is less common, but has been observed in several species, notably Monochamus carolinensis ). Cerambycids, in turn, have been found to play a role in attracting other wood-borers to a host. [7] Borgemeister, et al. 1998, recorded that cerambycid activity in girdled twigs released volatiles attractive to some bostrichids, especially Prostephanus truncatus . [8] A few cerambycids, such as Arhopalus sp., are adapted to take advantage of trees recently killed or injured by forest fires by detecting and pursuing smoke volatiles.

Adults of Lamiinae, most Lepturinae and some Cerambycinae also feed. Adults of Parandrinae, Prioninae and Spondylidinae do not feed. In those taxa with feeding adults, common foods are nectar, pollen, fruit and sap exudates. Some (mainly Lamiinae) feed on bark, plant stems, needles or developing cones. Roots are consumed by larvae and sometimes also adults of soil-dwelling Dorcadion . The genus Leiopus is known to feed on fungi. Lastly, the genus Elytroleptus is unusual in having carnivorous adults, which prey on lycid beetles. [9]

Pollination

In addition to feeding on other plant tissue, some species feed on pollen or nectar and may act as pollinators. Assessing the efficacy of beetle pollinators is difficult. Even if pollination of one species by beetles is shown, that same beetle may also act as a flower predator toward other species. In some cases, beetles may act as both pollinators and predators on the same flowers. [10]

Flowers specializing in pollination by beetles typically display a particular set of traits, but pollination by longhorn beetles is not limited to these cantharophilous flowers. A review of angiosperm pollination by beetles shows that Cerambycidae, along with Curculionidae and Scarabaeidae, contains many taxa that are pollinators for not only specialist but also generalist systems. [11]

Beetles in the New Zealand genus Zorion are known to feed on pollen and have a specialized structure similar to that of pollen baskets found in bees. [12] Species in this genus are thought to be important pollinator species for native plants such as harakeke. [13]

Some orchid species have been found to be largely reliant on longhorn beetles for pollination. The species Alosterna tabacicolor was found to be the main pollinator of a rare orchid species ( Dactylorhiza fuchsii ) in Poland. [14] Another rare orchid Disa forficaria, found in the Cape Floristic Region in South Africa, relies on the species Chorothyse hessei for pollination. D. forficaria uses sexual deception targeting male C. hessei, possibly indicating a long history of co-evolution with longhorn beetle pollinators. [15]

Flower-visiting species, Zorion guttigerum. Zorion guttigerum on flower.jpg
Flower-visiting species, Zorion guttigerum .

The proportion of longhorn beetle species that act as pollinators is unknown. The fact that two species of longhorn species from distinct subfamilies (Lepturinae and Cerambycinae) found on different continents both with significant roles as pollinators could suggest that some capacity for pollination may be common among longhorn beetles.

Predators

Parasitoids

In North America some native cerambycids are the hosts of Ontsira mellipes (a parasitoid wasp in the family Braconidae). [16] O. mellipes may be useful in controlling a forestry pest in this same family, Anoplophora glabripennis , that is invasive in North America. [16]

Classification

Decora longicorn (Amphirhoe decora) Decora Longicorn Beetle.jpg
Decora longicorn ( Amphirhoe decora )

As with many large families, different authorities have tended to recognize many different subfamilies, or sometimes split subfamilies off as separate families entirely (e.g., Disteniidae, Oxypeltidae, and Vesperidae); [17] there is thus some instability and controversy regarding the constituency of the Cerambycidae. [18] There are few truly defining features for the group as a whole, at least as adults, as there are occasional species or species groups which may lack any given feature; the family and its closest relatives, therefore, constitute a taxonomically difficult group, and relationships of the various lineages are still poorly understood. [19] The oldest unambiguous fossils of the family are Cretoprionus and Sinopraecipuus from Yixian Formation of Inner Mongolia and Liaoning, China, dating to the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous, approximately 122 million years ago. The former genus was assigned to the subfamily Prioninae in its original description, while the latter could not be placed in any extant subfamily. [20] [21] Qitianniu from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber of Myanmar, dating to approximately 100 million years ago, also could not be placed in any extant subfamily. [22]

Gerania bosci Gerania bosci bosci (longhorn beetle) on a coconut (focus stacking).jpg
Gerania bosci
Anoplophora chinensis Anoplophora chinensis.jpg
Anoplophora chinensis

Subfamilies

The subfamilies of Cerambycidae are: [23] [24]

Most species (90.5%) are concentrated in the Cerambycinae and Lamiinae subfamilies. [3]

Notable genera and species

Common tuft bearing longhorn beetle (Aristobia approximator) Aristobia approximator.jpg
Common tuft bearing longhorn beetle ( Aristobia approximator )

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaf beetle</span> Family of beetles

The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous subfamilies are recognized, but the precise taxonomy and systematics are likely to change with ongoing research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian long-horned beetle</span> Species of beetle

The Asian long-horned beetle, also known as the starry sky, sky beetle, or ALB, is native to the Korean Peninsula, northern and southern China, and disputably in northern Japan. This species has now been accidentally introduced into the eastern United States, where it was first discovered in 1996, as well as Canada, and several countries in Europe, including Austria, France, Germany, Italy and UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chrysomeloidea</span> Superfamily of beetles

The Chrysomeloidea are an enormous superfamily of beetles, with tens of thousands of species. The largest families are Cerambycidae, long-horned beetles, with more than 35,000 species, and Chrysomelidae, leaf beetles, with more than 13,000 species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citrus long-horned beetle</span> Species of beetle

Anoplophora chinensis, the citrus long-horned beetle, is a long-horned beetle native to Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia where it is considered a serious pest. This beetle has invaded several countries in Europe, including Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, France, Germany, and Croatia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bostrichoidea</span> Superfamily of beetles

Bostrichoidea is a superfamily of beetles. It is the type superfamily of the infraorder Bostrichiformia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oedemeridae</span> Family of beetles

The family Oedemeridae is a cosmopolitan group of beetles commonly known as false blister beetles, though some recent authors have coined the name pollen-feeding beetles. There are some 100 genera and 1,500 species in the family, mostly associated with rotting wood as larvae, though adults are quite common on flowers. The family was erected by Pierre André Latreille in 1810.

Friedrich F. Tippmann was a Hungarian entomologist who specialised in Coleoptera, especially the Cerambycidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spondylidinae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Spondylidinae are a small subfamily of Cerambycidae including slightly over 100 species, primarily in the coniferous forests of the Boreal hemisphere. A few species occur in coniferous forests in tropical and subtropical areas, while very few genera are present in Austral Africa and Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disteniidae</span> Family of beetles

The Disteniidae are a small family of beetles in the superfamily Chrysomeloidea, traditionally treated as a group within the Cerambycidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vesperidae</span> Family of beetles

The Vesperidae are a small family of beetles, normally classified within the family Cerambycidae, of heterogeneous aspect but all characterised by larval stages related to roots of herbaceous plants or trees

<i>Clytus arietis</i> Species of insect

Clytus arietis, the wasp beetle, is a wasp-mimicking longhorn beetle species in the genus Clytus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parandrinae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Parandrinae is a subfamily of Long-Horned Beetles in the beetle family Cerambycidae. There are about 14 genera and more than 120 described species in Parandrinae.

<i>Enoplocerus</i> Species of beetle

Enoplocerus is a genus of longhorn beetles in the subfamily Prioninae of the family Cerambycidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species Enoplocerus armillatus, commonly known as the giant longhorn beetle or imperious sawyer.

<i>Phoracantha semipunctata</i> Species of beetle

Phoracantha semipunctata, the Australian Eucalyptus longhorn, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. Native to Australia, it has now spread to many parts of the world, including practically all countries where tree species of Eucalyptus have been introduced. It has been classified as an invasive pest species of Eucalyptus outside Australia.

<i>Lepturobosca chrysocoma</i> Species of beetle

Lepturobosca chrysocoma is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It was described as Cosmosalia chrysocoma by William Kirby in 1837. In 1998, comparison of Cosmalia chrysocoma with Lepturobosca virens by the Russian entomologist Alexander Ivanovich Miroshnikov resulted in Cosmalia and Lepturobosca grouped together under the name Lepturobosca. Common names used for this beetle include Yellow velvet beetle, Golden flower longhorn beetle and Golden-haired flower longhorn.

<i>Blosyropus spinosus</i> Species of beetle

Blosyropus spinosus, also known as the spiny longhorn or spiny silver-pine borer, is a rare species of longhorn beetle endemic to New Zealand. It has no specific Māori name, but the term for large longhorns of this type are howaka and kapapa.

<i>Oemona hirta</i> Longicorn beetle native to New Zealand

Oemona hirta, the lemon tree borer, also known as the whistling beetle or the singing beetle, is a longhorn beetle endemic to New Zealand. Its larvae are generalist feeders, boring into the wood of a wide variety of trees, native and introduced. When citrus orchards were first established in New Zealand, this beetle started inflicting serious damage, and so gained the name "lemon tree borer". Four species within the genus Oemona have been identified, suggesting that more species could be found. When disturbed by predators or humans, the adult beetle stridulates creating a "rasp" or "squeak" sound by rubbing its thorax and head together against an area of thin ridges. Māori would eat a liquid called "pia manuka", which was produced by manuka trees when its wood was damaged by the larvae. When Captain Cook first arrived in NZ, his naturalists, Banks and Solander, collected a lemon tree borer in their first collection between 1769 and 1771. This oldest collected specimen can be found in the British Museum. A few years after the first collection, the species would be first described by the Danish naturalist Fabricius in 1775.

<i>Zorion guttigerum</i> Species of insect

Zorion guttigerum, commonly known as the Flower long-horn beetle, is an endemic species of beetle in New Zealand. It is found on the flowers of many plant species and feeds on nectar and pollen.

<i>Zorion</i> Genus of beetles

Zorion is a genus of longhorn beetle of the family Cerambycidae that is endemic to New Zealand. About 10 species are currently recognised.

<i>Cyrtophorus verrucosus</i> Species of beetle

Cyrtophorus verrucosus, commonly known as the ant-like longhorn beetle or ant-mimic longhorn beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It is native to North America, more specifically southern Canada and the eastern United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Cerambycidae Latreille, 1802". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Cerambycidae - Longhorn beetles | NatureSpot".
  3. 1 2 Rossa, R.; Goczał, J. (2021-01-01). "Global diversity and distribution of longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)". The European Zoological Journal. 88 (1): 289–302. doi: 10.1080/24750263.2021.1883129 . ISSN   2475-0263.
  4. ↑ Barclay, Max (2010). "Titanus giganteus Linnaeus (1771)". Natural History Museum . Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Wood Boring Beetle Families - Cerambycidae". idtools.org. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  6. ↑ Kariyanna, B; Mohan, M & Gupta, Rajeev (2017). "Biology, ecology and significance of longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)". Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies. 5: 1207–1212. ISSN   2320-7078.
  7. ↑ Allison, Jeremy D.; Borden, John H.; Seybold, Steven J. (2004). "A review of the chemical ecology of the Cerambycidae". Chemoecology. 14: 123–150. doi:10.1007/s00049-004-0277-1. S2CID   1995065 – via ResearchGate.
  8. ↑ Borgemeister, Christian; Goergen, George; Tchabi, Atti; Awande, Symphorien; Markham, Richard H.; Scholz, Dagmar (1998). "Exploitation of a woody host plant and cerambycid-associated volatiles as host-finding clues by the larger grain borer". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 91 (5): 741–747. doi: 10.1093/aesa/91.5.741 – via ResearchGate.
  9. ↑ Haack, R. A. (2017). "Feeding Biology of Cerambycids". In Qiao, Wang (ed.). Cerambycidae of the World: Biology and Pest Management. CRC Press. ISBN   9780367573973.
  10. ↑ Gottsberger, Gerhard (1977), Kubitzki, Klaus (ed.), "Some Aspects of Beetle Pollination in the Evolution of Flowering Plants", Flowering Plants: Evolution and Classification of Higher Categories Symposium, Hamburg, September 8–12, 1976, Plant Systematics and Evolution / Entwicklungsgeschichte und Systematik der Pflanzen, Vienna: Springer, pp. 211–226, doi:10.1007/978-3-7091-7076-2_14, ISBN   978-3-7091-7076-2 , retrieved 2023-10-18
  11. ↑ Bernhardt, Peter (2000), Dafni, Amots; Hesse, Michael; Pacini, Ettore (eds.), "Convergent Evolution and Adaptive Radiation of Beetle-Pollinated Angiosperms", Pollen and Pollination, Vienna: Springer, pp. 293–320, doi:10.1007/978-3-7091-6306-1_16, ISBN   978-3-7091-6306-1 , retrieved 2023-10-18
  12. ↑ Schnitzler, Franz-Rudolf; Wang, Qiao (2005-10-18). "Revision of Zorion Pascoe (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), an endemic genus of New Zealand". Zootaxa. 1066 (1): 1–42. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1066.1.1. ISSN   1175-5334.
  13. ↑ "Meet our pollinators | EPA". www.epa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  14. ↑ Gutowski, Jerzy M. (1990-01-01). "Pollination of the orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii by longhorn beetles in primeval forests of Northeastern Poland". Biological Conservation. 51 (4): 287–297. Bibcode:1990BCons..51..287G. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(90)90114-5. ISSN   0006-3207.
  15. ↑ GASKETT, ANNE C. (2012-04-17). "Floral shape mimicry and variation in sexually deceptive orchids with a shared pollinator". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 106 (3): 469–481. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.01902.x. ISSN   0024-4066.
  16. 1 2 "PPQ Scientists Evaluate Wasp's Ability to Detect and Attack the Asian Longhorned Beetle". PPQ (Plant Protection and Quarantine). USDA APHIS . Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  17. ↑ Vanin, Sergio Antonio & Ide, Sergio (2002). "Classificação comentada de Coleoptera" [An annotated classification of the Coleoptera]. In C. Costa; S. A. Vanin; J. M. Lobo & A. Melic (eds.). Proyecto de Red Iberoamericana de Biogeografía y Entomología Sistemática PrIBES 2002 (PDF). Monografias Tercer Milenio (M3M) (in Portuguese). Vol. 3. pp. 193–206. ISBN   84-922495-8-7.
  18. ↑ Monné, Miguel A. (2006). "Catalogue of the Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) of the Neotropical Region. Part III. Subfamilies Parandrinae, Prioninae, Anoplodermatinae, Aseminae, Spondylidinae, Lepturinae, Oxypeltinae, and addenda to the Cerambycinae and Lamiinae" (PDF excerpt). Zootaxa . 1212: 1–244. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1212.1.1. ISBN   1-877407-96-8.
  19. ↑ Arnett, et al. (2002). American Beetles, Vol. 2. CRC Press, 861 pp.
  20. ↑ Wang, Bo; Ma, Junye; McKenna, Duane D.; Yan, Evgeny V.; Zhang, Haichun; Jarzembowski, Edmund A. (2013-08-09). "The earliest known longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae: Prioninae) and implications for the early evolution of Chrysomeloidea". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 12 (5): 565–574. doi:10.1080/14772019.2013.806602. ISSN   1477-2019. S2CID   86312026.
  21. ↑ Yu, Yali; Ślipiński, Adam; Reid, Chris; Shih, ChungKun; Pang, Hong; Ren, Dong (January 2015). "A new longhorn beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of Western Liaoning in China". Cretaceous Research. 52: 453–460. Bibcode:2015CrRes..52..453Y. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.02.019.
  22. ↑ Lin, Mei-Ying; Bai, Ming (July 2017). "Qitianniu zhihaoi gen. et sp. nov.: The first cerambycid beetle found in Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea)". Cretaceous Research. 75: 173–178. Bibcode:2017CrRes..75..173L. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017.03.030.
  23. 1 2 Bouchard, Patrice; Bousquet, Yves; Davies, Anthony E.; Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A.; et al. (2011). "Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta)". ZooKeys (88): 1–972. Bibcode:2011ZooK...88....1B. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.88.807 . PMC   3088472 . PMID   21594053.
  24. 1 2 3 Švácha, P.; Lawrence, J. (2014). "2.4. Cerambycidae Latreille, 1802" (PDF). In Leschen, R.A.B.; Beutel, R.G. (eds.). Handbook of Zoology, Arthropoda: Insecta; Coleoptera, Beetles, Volume 3: Morphology and Systematics (Phytophaga). Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 77–177. doi:10.1515/9783110274462.77. ISBN   978-3-11-027446-2.

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