Subject: strange beetle
Location: nhill, victoria
January 31, 2014 3:00 am
last night at around 11:00 this beetle flew in through an open window and landed on our cat (scaring the hell out of him). I put it in a bag to get a photo cos i didnt want it loose in the house or for a pet to eat it and it tried to chew its way out putting numerous holes in the bag. never seen one like this before and we’re all stumped as to what it is.
measurements
length-4cm
width-1.2cm
feeler things-2.5cm
Signature: nita
Hi Nita,
We believe your Root Borer in the subfamily Prioninae is a Banksia Longicorn, Paroplites australis. There is a photo on Lochman Transparencies and on the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery. These Root Borers have very powerful mandibles and we are not surprised to learn it chewed several holes in a plastic bag.
yes that is it…thats the exact beetle..thanks so much now we can stop googling