Stictoleptura rubra, the red-brown longhorn beetle, is a species of beetle belonging to the family Cerambycidae. They visit flowering plants for nectar and pollen, while larvae develop and feed within dead wood and tree stumps of coniferous trees (Picea, Pinus, Abies, Larix). They have yeasts in their gut, enabling them to digest cellulose.
Two former subspecies, namely Stictoleptura rubra dichroa (Blanchard, 1871) and Stictoleptura rubra succedanea (Lewis, 1873) are often treated as synonyms under Stictoleptura dichroa (Blanchard, 1871) in recent works.[1]
Description
Stictoleptura rubra can reach a length of 10–20 millimetres (0.39–0.79in).[2] This species has an evident sexual dimorphism, with variations in color and shape. Elytra and pronotum of the females are uniformly reddish-brown or reddish-orange, while in males head and pronotum are black. Moreover the males have brown or pale ochre elytra and often they are smaller and narrower than the females.[3]
Biology
Life cycle of this species lasts two - three years. Adults can be encountered from May to September, but mainly in July and August). They visit flowering plants for nectar and/or pollen, while larvae develop and feed within dead wood and tree stumps of coniferous trees (Picea, Pinus, Abies, Larix).[2][4] To develop and reach maturity they need nutrients provided by fungi.[5][6] Their gut contains cellulase-producing yeasts[7] to enable xylophagy, or wood-digestion.
↑ Grünwald, S.; M. Pilhofer; W. Höll (January 2010). "Microbial associations in gut systems of wood- and bark-inhabiting longhorned beetles Coleoptera: Cerambycidae]". Systematic and Applied Microbiology. 33 (1): 25–34. doi:10.1016/j.syapm.2009.10.002. ISSN0723-2020. PMID19962263.
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