Coppery beetle in NY – brown prionid?
Here’s a bug that appeared on an old maple tree in central New York state. The size is what surprised us when it flew. It’s huge! I tried to identify it, and it may be a brown prionid, but only its back is bronze. The rest is black. The bronze sparkles in the sun. This was on your website. It has similar wings and antennae, but this one is all brown, and the one I saw was only brown on the wing covers. Can you tell what it is? Thanks! We love your site – amazing!
Leslie
Hi Leslie,
Your beetle is in the same family as the Prionids, but a different subfamily. This is a Flower Longhorn in the subfamily Lepturinae. We believe it is Stenelytrana emarginata based on photos posted to BugGuide. Sadly, this gorgeous beetle does not have a common name.
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Posted 18 August 2008
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Bug from Thailand
I am a eucalyptus farmer here in Thailand and discovered a new beetle yesterday munching on my trees. Can you please identify it for me? Thanks in advance,
Don
Hi Don,
Before you decide to spend money to eradicate the Cerambycid Beetle or Longhorn Beetle, Aristobia approximator, from your eucalyptus grove, you should know that we located a framed mounted specimen online for $109.00, which may make raising the beetles more profitable than raising the trees.
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Posted 17 August 2008
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Prionus californicus I presume
Hello there from Palomar Mountain, California (elevation approx. 5,600 ft.)!
My husband and I found this beauty on our front porch last night. It made a wonderful quick “hiss!” to let me know that getting petted was not an appreciated activity, but it was not sufficiently annoyed to wander off. So, here is a photograph of it—an entire 5 centimeters of Prionus californicus goodness .. . and more evidence that yes, these fellows make noise when pestered. I also note that its antennae and legs appear a bit thinner than those of the other large Prionus californicus picture posted on your site . I’m wondering if you could comment on whether that is a variation which occurs with location, gender, age, randomly, or with something completely different. I know you’re busy so no worries if you have no time to respond. Also, if your email service won’t display the photo, I can resend as an attachment.
Thanks for your lovely website. Be well,
Laura
Hi Laura,
You are correct in your identification of a California Prionus. There is often individual variation within a species, but camera angle could also account for distorted perspective in some photographs which may explain your observation about antennae and leg girth.
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Posted 13 August 2008
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Can you tell me what this is?
I was out in my garage last night and i found this!?! I live in Yelm, Washington and have for most of my life i have never seen this before. Can you help me figure this out? Thanks You Sincerely,
Andria Roper
Hi Andria,
In our humble opinion, the Banded Alder Borer, or Laurel Borer, Rosalia funebris, is one of the most beautiful and elegant North AMerican beetles.
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Posted 08 August 2008
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Found in Utah mountains near Park City
Could you help identify this guy? The closest thing on your site that looks like it is a locust beetle. Any help you can give is appreciated! Thanks,
Linda
Hi Linda,
Your observation that your beetle resembles a Locust Borer is a good one as they are in the same family of Long Horned Borers, Cerambycidae. We do not recognize your particular beetle, and a quick search of BugGuide did not produce an answer for us. We have decided to post your photo as an Unidentified Borer, and hope that either a reader can provide an answer, or that Eric Eaton will know the answer. The markings and the black thorax on your specimen are quite distincitve.
Update: (08/01/2008) Unknown Borer Beetle
Hi there,
The black and yellow “Unknown Borer Beetle” posted on your main page 07/31/08 is probably Utah native, Calloides nobilis var. mormonus. Here is a reference with photo here (Smithsonian) . Cheers,
J.D. Roberts
BugGuide Profile
Confirmation: (08/01/2008) Forwarded by Eric Eaton
It isCalloides nobilis mormonus Schaeffer
M.C. Thomas, Ph.D.
FloridaStateCollection of Arthropods
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Posted 31 July 2008
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PLEASE identify
For these two insects, I need to know their common English name, the Genus name, and the Species name in Latin—please help!!! Thanks so much!!!
(07/30/2008) Both were in Tikal, Guatemala. Thanks so much for your help.
Your beetle is a Cerambycid or Long Horned Borer Beetle known as a Harlequin Beetle, Acrocinus longimanus. It is one of the largest and most magnificent members of its family. It is found in Central and South America. We held off on an identification until you provided us with a location. We wrote back requesting the location because we really wanted to post the photo.
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Posted 29 July 2008
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Giant bug
Hi Bugman,
My father found this big guy on a glass door, at his work, in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. According to him, it seemed to sit in the same spot for hours, giving him the opportunity to take a picture. I’ve tried all kinds of sites, looking for what this creepy bug could possibly be, when I stumbled upon your website! It was about 2 1/2 inches long, not including the monstrous antennas. We made the conclusion that it’s a beetle… but of course, we could be wrong. Can you help us?!
Jerica
Kansas City, Missouri
Hi Jerica,
Your beautiful beetle is a Cottonwood Borer, Plectrodera scalator.
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Posted 29 July 2008
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Cool Bug Pics
The Borer and Bee Killer are both from my yard in Seguin TX
R
Hi Renee,
We see you have labled your photo of Plinthocoelium suaveolens with the common name Texas Bumelia Borer. We posted another image of this species yesterday and lamented its lack of a universally accepted common name. We would propose Tupelo Tree Borer after another host tree.
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Posted 28 July 2008
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phymatodes testaceus??
Bugman-
we need your help! We live near Chattanooga, TN and found this bug flying in our back yard. It has amazing colors- metallic green and orange. When it flies it’s wings are a very bright green and when it turns to the side, you can see the flashes of orange. What is this beautiful bug? I’ve lived in this area all of my life and never seen anything like this. We visited another website(after looking through yours) to try to find a closer match and thought it was phymatodes testaceus- I don’t know what the common name is from the mumbo- jumbo, but some kind of borer??? Thanks,
The Ushers
Hi Ushers,
You are correct about this being a Borer Beetle, but you have the wrong species. The correct species is even more of a tongue twister: Plinthocoelium suaveolens. While we understand that the Linnean binomial system of naming living things is not conducive to speaking in normal conversational English, it can be impressive when these polysyllabic words are casually inserted in day to day conversations. It is unfortunate that this gorgeous insect does not seem to have a common name. BugGuide indicates that: “Larvae are trunk and root borers of Tupelo ( Nyssa ), Bumelia , and Mulberry ( Morus )” so either Tupelo Tree Borer or Mulberry Borer would seem appropriate. We will see if Eric Eaton can shed any light on the noticeable lack of a common name here. If Will Smith could get the word “jiggy” added to the vernacular and then getting it placed in Webster’s compendium of words, we see no reason that What’s That Bug can’t coin the common name Tupelo Tree Borer for this beauty. Just before posting, we did find that the much less smooth sounding common names of Texas Bumelia Borer and Eastern Bumelia Borer are used for two subspecies. Thanks for your beautiful photo and thought provoking letter that has allowed us to digress and wax poetic.
Update: (07/28/2008)
Daniel:
Hope your lecture at the Getty went well! I do like your suggestion for a common name for Plinthocoelium suaveolens. Such a beautiful insect really should have one….You might petition the Entomological Society of America committee on common names….I could be tempted to do so on your behalf, actually.
Eric
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Posted 27 July 2008
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Broad Necked Root Borer
Dear Bugman!
My Boy Scouts and I found this insect outside my tent at Ockanickon Scout Reservation near Pipersville, Pennsylvania last week (07/08). It was about 2 inches long and what was fascinating was that it appeared to take a defensive posture and extended its “stinger” (propably not the right term but I am rather insect identification challenged!) I found your website and went through the beetle sections. I think it’s a Broad Necked Root Borer, but didn’t see any with the “stinger”. Your opinion, and an explanation of the “stinger” would be greatly appreciated and educational for the Scouts. This is an awesome website! Thank you,
JoAnn Campbell
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 140
Blairstown, NJ
Hi JoAnn,
Your Broad Necked Root Borer, Prionus laticollis, is a female, and the stinger is her ovipositor. She needs a means by which to deposit her eggs deep inside the wood.
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Posted 25 July 2008
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An Elderberry Borer?
Hi Bugman,
We saw this beetle flying across our garden. It’s alive and well, also very active and colourful! It appears to be an Elderberry long-horn beetle or Elderberry Borer. It was caught in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, Canada. Do you know if it’s native to this region? Great website! Thanks,
Steve
Hi Steve,
This is an Elderberry Borer, Desmocerus palliatus, and it is a local species for your locale.
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Posted 24 July 2008
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Taken in Senegal on coast in 2001
This beetle was very “gentle and kind enough to pose for me by ruler. Had the appearance of being carved from wood – so wonder what it’s real name is? Thanks
Bill Frisbie
(I have a few more interesting ones too – but we can start here J)
Hi Bill,
We can tell you the family Cerambycidae, the Long Horned Borer Beetles, without doing any research. Species identification may take hours and prove fruitless as there is often not much information on exotic species easily available online.
Update: (07/19/2008)
Hi, Daniel:
Good news! I got an identification for the longhorned beetle from Senegal. It has no common name, but it is a female Analeptes trifasciata, or something very closely related. Check this out: http://www.cerambycoidea.com/specie.asp?Id=34&Tipo=T&NPag=2 and see if you don’t agree. This is a great website for longhorned beetles if you are familiar with at least the subfamilies, but you are correct that it is time-consuming! Keep up the great work, and best wishes for the upcoming lecture at the Getty this week.
Eric
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Posted 18 July 2008
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