Subject: Black beetle with yellow stripes, longhorn?
Geographic location of the bug: Carlsbad, NM
Date: 12/02/2017
Time: 10:38 AM EDT
We found this guy camped out on a particular rose bush for several days. Its contrasting colors and antenna made it stand out. We are guessing that it is a longhorn beetle just because of its incredibly long antenna. We searched Bug Guide and thought it’s shape and antenna resembled several different longhorns including some flat-faced (hippopsis) and flower longhorns, but we could not find a true match.
How you want your letter signed: Curious
Dear Curious,
You are correct that this is a Longhorn Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and the entomological “nickname” for members of the family is Bycid. This is a Double Banded Bycid, Sphaenothecus bilineatus, which we quickly identified on BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “Larval hosts: Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and Roses (Rosa spp.).” The Double Banded Bycid is also pictured on Texas Entomology.