Puerto Rican Long Horned Beetle: two foreign mystery bugs

danielj

August 5th, 2004 at 12:00 am

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What an excellent and fun website! I thought you might be able to help me with two mystery bugs that have proven baffling. The second is this strange bug my entomology class in Puerto Rico. We were stuck, and I still am – I can’t place it to order even, although the mouthparts and thorax might suggest some weird orthopteran. This specimen was about 2 and a half cm from antennae-tip to the base of wings.
Thanks!
Robbie

puerto rican orthopteran Puerto Rican Long Horned Beetle: two foreign mystery bugs

Hi Robbie,
Thanks for the photos of the exotica. They are a mystery to us as well. Your Puerto Rican Orthopteran looks according to Eric Eaton, to be probably a longhorned beetle (Cerambycidae).
Ed. Note: We just received the following correction.
(08/09/2005) identifications Hello – I was recently shown your site, and it is excellent. My specialization is longhorned beetles, and in cruising around I notice a number of incomplete or uncertain IDs for this family. I don’t know if you are interested in receiving this sort of input, but if you are, I offer the following additions to your identifications.
This is a species of Bebelis, probably lignosa, or perhaps schwarzi; no species is specifically recorded from Puerto Rico, but several my occur there. The larvae typically bore in small stems of semi-woody plants (sunflower, ragweed, etc.) Cheers.
Frank Hovore