What beetle is this?
December 30, 2009
I caught this huge beetle flying around outside my classroom window in Mesa, Arizona in the middle of April. On a warm sunny day.
My class thought it was a “flying spider”! What is it? any ideas? It’s not in any of my bug books. I enclosed two photos. Thanks in advanced for any help! 
Lisa
Mesa, Arizona
Hardwood Stump Borer
Hi Lisa,
Your beetle is a Hardwood Stump Borer, Mallodon dasystomus. You can find additional images and information on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 01 January 2010 § ‡ ° Blue French Bug
December 28, 2009
I saw this bug hidden in a woodpile last july in Deux Sevres, France and am curious as to its species, thanks
Alex
Deux Sevres, France
Blue Rosalia
Hi Alex,
This gorgeous Long Horned Borer Beetle is a Blue Rosalia, Rosalia alpina, and we have read that it is becoming quite rare in Europe. According to Wikipedia: “They are distributed from the Alps east to Slovakia. Its numbers across Europe has greatly depleted in recent years, and it is a protected species in Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia.“ The Blue Rosalia has appeared on numerous European stamps.
¶ Posted 28 December 2009 § ‡ ° Spots and Stripes…I’m Stumped!
June 5, 2009
Hello there!
First I just want to say I’m so glad I found this site…so informative, thanks for your efforts! I’d like to ask your help in identifying this guy I saw on vacation in Aruba last week. He was hanging around the balcony all day, weather there was low 80s and dry. The pattern reminds me of a potato beetle but the body doesn’t seem quite right…maybe some type of borer? (Sorry if these are dumb guesses, these is soooo not my field, I’m only working with what I could piece together in the last couple hours from google and pouring through your site until my eyes went blurry )
Thanks in advance and I hope you are enjoying your vacation!
Najah W.
Aruba
Oxymerus aculeatus
Hi Najah,
As you indicated, we were away when you wrote in June, and we never really caught up on unanswered mail. We are trying to post a few old letters today, and we find your request most interesting. First, both Leaf Beetles and Longhorned Borer Beetles are in the same superfamily Chrysomeloidea, so your confusion is actually supported by scientific taxonomy. Your beetle does have the markings of a Colorado Potato Beetle, and the antennae of a Longhorned Borer Beetle. We believe it is a Longhorned Borer in the family Cerambycidae, though we are uncertain of the species. Perhaps one of our readers can assist in a proper identification.
Identification courtesy of Karl
This looks like Oxymerus aculeatus (Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Trachyderini). The Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services has posted a “Pest Alert” for this species (available online), fearing that it may have become established in South Florida. I believe this is it, but I haven’t checked to see if there are related and similar looking species. Regards. K
¶ Posted 23 December 2009 § ‡ ° What kind of bug is this?
May 30, 2009
This little fella was layin on his back around 1AM on my porch. I talked him into the jar (with air holes), snapped some shots, then took him back to my porch. When he was in the jar, my wife and I would gently get him on his feet, but he’d always flip back over. The spot where I released him on the porch, he’s still at, but dead. 
He’s got 6 legs, 2 antannae, pincers on the front. He’s bigger than my thumb (adult male), maybe 2 inches long.
Myk
Oakley, CA USA
California Prionus
Hi Myk,
Your beetle is a magnificent California Prionus.
¶ Posted 22 December 2009 § ‡ ° ID Stag Beetle in the jungle of Campeche, Mexico
December 20, 2009
Last week (December 2009) I was visiting some Maya ruins in Campeche, Mexico near the border with Guatemala.
I found this beetle, it seemed to be dying and was moving very slowly with its legs held close to it’s body.
Just interested to find out more about it,
Thanks!
Tim
Jungle of Campeche, Mexico
Callipogon senex
Dear Tim,
This beautiful beetle is not a Stag Beetle, but rather a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae. We believe it is Callipogon senex based on a photo on the coleop-terra website. The species is found in Honduras and El Salvador as well as Mexico. It was pictured on a postage stamp from Belize in 1995.
Postage Stamp
1
¶ Posted 20 December 2009 § ‡ ° Big Prionid-like Longhorn
December 19, 2009
Found this guy on the same hike as the assassin bug. About the same size as a prionid but with longer curving antennae. Very cool Coleopterid.
Sebastian
About two hours downstream from Iquitos, Peru
Longicorn from Amazon
Hi again Sebastian,
This Longicorn is not a Prionid, but rather, it is in one of the other Cerambycidae subfamilies, perhaps Lamiinae. We hope to get you a species identification on this beauty. We attempted to search the Cerambycids of Brazil website, but after going through about a third of the possibilities in the subfamily, we decided to take a nap.
Update from Karl
Daniel:
I believe the subfamily is Cerambycinae (tribe Cerambycini), but it gets difficult after that. If you look at the Cerambycidae de Guyane website you get an idea of some of the generic paths this could go down. All things considered, I would probably go with Jupoata as the genus and rufipennis as the species. It looks about right, is large, common and widespread (Mexico to northern Argentina). However, it could also be J. costalimai, or one of several other similar species. If you are looking on the Cerambycids of Brazil website, you will find this genus filed under the older name Brasilianus, which has subsequently been redistributed among several genera. Regards.
Karl
p.s. Here are the links if my hyperlinks did not migrate:
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/cerambycidae/cerambycini_cerambycina.htm
http://www.cerambycoidea.com/foto.asp?Id=1907
http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://auction.jp.msn.com/item/129855185&ei=DDAuS-nYK4iDngeRnK32CA&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CCIQ7gEwCDgo&prev=/search%3Fq%3DJupoata%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D40
http://www.cerambycids.com/brazil/MNRJ/default.asp?Action=Show_Types&TypeID=135
¶ Posted 19 December 2009 § ‡ ° No Idea
December 18, 2009
Hello. Found this bug in east of Napa. It was about and inch and half long. Very docile.
Paul
Napa County, California
Uncommon Longhorn: Synaphaeta guexi
Dear Paul,
We are nearly certain this is Synaphaeta guexi, a Flat Faced Longhorn Beetle in the subfamily Lamiinae. It it one of the Longhorn Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae. We found a nearly identical view on BugGuide, but sadly, there is no information on the species. One posting on BugGuide calls it the Spotted Tree Borer. One posting to BugGuide from November 2009 states: “this is indeed an uncommon beetle that seems to consistently evade experienced insect enthusiasts: ALL of its images we have on BG to date have been posted by first-time contributors!“ There are also some images on the BugShutterbug website. It appears we are currently experiencing some difficulty with new images appearing live, and we hope this is quickly remedied.
I’d agree, though this is certainly not the best angle to tell conclusively….They are not terribly small beetles from what I understand. Was a size estimate given?
Eric
An inch and a half.
That fits, you have my full endorsement:-)
Eric
¶ Posted 19 December 2009 § ‡ ° Borer?
December 15, 2009
Found this bug inamongst Balau decking planks that we sell. Could it be some species of borer, and could it be threatening to a timber store
Buglet
Eastern Cape, South Africa
Eucalyptus Borer
Dear Buglet,
This is a Eucalyptus Borer in the genus Phoracantha. It is native to Australia, but it has become established in Southern California where many eucalyptus trees have been planted. We are guessing that it was also introduced to South Africa where eucalyptus is doubtless grown as well.
¶ Posted 16 December 2009 § ‡ ° 
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