The Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) is a wood-boring insect native to China and the Korean Peninsula, posing a significant threat to hardwood trees in the United States. Belonging to the Cerambycidae family, this invasive species is known to feed on a variety of trees, eventually killing them.

Early identification and eradication are critical, as there is currently no cure for the damage caused by ALB. It’s essential to be familiar with the signs of an infestation; look for exit holes left by the beetles after chewing their way out of the tree during warmer months, alongside other distinctive signs of damage.

To help prevent the spread of the Asian Longhorned Beetle, it’s necessary to adhere to quarantine measures in your area and follow guidelines to leave Hungry Pests behind. If you spot a beetle or suspect your tree is infested, report it to the appropriate authorities immediately.

Overview of Longhorn Beetles

Classification and Scientific Name

Longhorn Beetles belong to the family Cerambycidae, which includes a variety of species with unique features. They are also commonly referred to as “long-horned beetles” or “longicorns.”

Distinctive Features

Some key features of Longhorn Beetles are:

• Elongated and cylindrical body shape
• Antennae at least half the length of the body, sometimes much longer
• Often smooth, streamlined, and tapering toward the back

Size and Appearance

Longhorn Beetles have a diverse range of size and appearance. Examples include:

• Asian Longhorned Beetle: 1 to 1.5 inches in length, black body with small white spots, black and white banded antennae
• Others: Drab black, gray, or brown colors or mimicking wasps with black and yellow/orange banded patterns

Worldwide Distribution

These beetles can be found all over the world but are native to regions like China and the Korean Peninsula. The varied species within the Cerambycidae family occupy different habitats and have adapted to their surroundings.

Here is a comparison table of different Longhorn Beetle species and their characteristics:

Species	Size	Color	Antennae	Region/Habitat
Asian Longhorned Beetle	1-1.5 inch	Black with white spots	Black and white	Asia
Mimicking Wasp Longhorn	Varies	Banded black and orange	Varies	Other Regions
Drab Colored Longhorn	Varies	Black, gray, or brown	Varies	Other Regions

Life Cycle and Habits

Eggs and Larvae

Valley elderberry longhorn beetles, like other longhorn beetles, start their life cycle as eggs¹. A female beetle lays the eggs on the leaves and stems of their preferred host plant, the elderberry. The eggs then hatch into larvae that feed on the plant tissue².

• The larvae stage is known for consuming the plant’s tissue and sapwood³.
• They damage living trees, ultimately affecting their overall health.

Adult Behavior

Adult longhorn beetles emerge from their pupal stage usually around March to June⁴. These adults continue to feed on their host plants, targeting the leaves, flowers, and occasionally twigs⁵. Mating and reproduction take place during this active period.

• Adult beetles have unique features, such as long antennae and striking color patterns⁶.
• They can fly but are commonly seen on their host plants.

Feeding and Diet

Longhorn beetles feed on various parts of their host plants, depending on their life stage⁷. Here is a comparison of the feeding habits of larvae and adult beetles:

Life Stage	Feeding Habits
Larvae	Plant tissue, sapwood
Adult	Leaves, flowers, twigs

• The majority of their diet comes from the plants they infest.
• Living trees are greatly affected by their feeding habits.

Habitat and Host Plants

Forests and Woodlands

Longhorn beetles are usually found in forests and woodlands across various continents such as North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Their larvae, called roundheaded borers, feed on and inhabit the insides of trees, generally preferring dying, freshly cut, or recently-killed trees for their development.

Popular Host Trees

Longhorn beetles have a wide range of host trees. For instance, the Asian Longhorned Beetle favors healthy trees belonging to 12 genera, with maple (Acer spp.) being a primary preference. Other commonly attacked genera include:

• Horsechestnut (Aesculus spp.)
• Birch (Betula spp.)
• Willow (Salix spp.)
• Elm
• Ash
• Poplar

Comparison Table:

Host Trees	Beetle Species
Maple (Acer)	Asian Longhorned Beetle, Valley Elderberry Longhorned Beetle
Horsechestnut	Asian Longhorned Beetle
Birch	Asian Longhorned Beetle
Willow	Asian Longhorned Beetle
Elm	Longhorned Beetles
Ash	Longhorned Beetles
Poplar	Longhorned Beetles

It is essential to know the popular host trees to identify potential signs of infestation and act accordingly to protect these trees from damage.

Varieties and Subfamilies

The Longhorn Beetles, also known as Cerambycidae, are a diverse group of beetles with more than 20,000 species worldwide. They are divided into several subfamilies, some of which include:

• Cerambycinae
• Lamiinae
• Dorcasominae
• Lepturinae
• Necydalinae
• Parandrinae
• Prioninae
• Spondylidinae

Well-Known Species

Some well-known species of Longhorn Beetles are:

• Acrocinus longimanus: Commonly known as the Harlequin Beetle, this species can be found in Central and South America. They are known for their striking red, black, and yellow patterns.
• Anoplophora chinensis: Also known as the Asian Longhorned Beetle, this species is native to China but has caused damage to forests in North America and Europe. They are black with white spots, and have long, striped antennae.

Here is a comparison table of these two species:

Feature	Acrocinus longimanus (Harlequin Beetle)	Anoplophora chinensis (Asian Longhorned Beetle)
Size	50-80 mm	20-35 mm
Color	Red, black, and yellow patterns	Black with white spots
Distribution	Central and South America	Native to China, invasive in North America and Europe

Each subfamily of Longhorn Beetles has unique characteristics, but they generally have the following features:

• Long antennae, often longer than their body
• Elongated, cylindrical body shape
• Wood-boring larvae
• Attraction to dying or freshly cut trees

These diverse beetles play an important role in their ecosystems, from breaking down wood in forests to acting as pollinators for various plant species.

Invasive Species and Their Impact

Asian Longhorned Beetle

The Asian Longhorned Beetle is an invasive species that threatens hardwood forests, urban gardens, and economically crucial trees like maple, willow, birch, and elm. Native to China and Korea, it has been found in North American cities like New York and Toronto. The beetle’s damage comes from tunneling through tree trunks, compromising tree strength.

Key features of Asian Longhorned Beetle:

• Black with white speckles
• Long antennae with white bands
• Body length: 1-1.5 inches

Anoplophora Glabripennis

Anoplophora glabripennis is another name for the Asian Longhorned Beetle. This invasive species’ infestation can drastically impact local ecosystems and economy.

Infestation impacts:

• Decreased tree survival rates
• Damage to hardwood trees
• Threats to the lumber industry

Eradication programs:

• Quarantines of affected areas
• Removal and destruction of infested trees
• Chemical treatments for control

Comparison table of infestation effects in New York and California:

Location	Damage to trees	Area/type affected	Eradication efforts
New York	High	Urban parks	Quarantine/Removal
California	Moderate	Hardwood forests	Quarantine/Treatment

Detection and Identification

Identifying Features

The Longhorn Beetle is a diverse family of beetles, with many species displaying unique features. Common characteristics include:

• Elongated and cylindrical body
• Antennae at least half the length of the body, sometimes much longer
• Coloration varies from drab black, gray, or brown, to banded patterns of black and yellow or other colors, such as seen in the Black and Yellow Longhorn (Rhagium bifasciatum)

For example, the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle is a medium-sized, red and dark green insect, approximately 0.8 inches long, with females larger than males.

Finding Exit Holes

Exit holes can be indicative of beetle presence, particularly during warmer months when adult beetles chew their way out of wood. These holes can be found on branches, stumps, or ports on infested trees. Entomologists and scientists often use exit holes to help identify infestations of beetle species, such as the Asian Longhorned Beetle.

Signs of Infestation

Be vigilant and look for signs of beetle infestations on leaves and wood. Common signs include:

• Exit holes, as mentioned earlier
• Roundheaded borers, which are woodboring larvae of many longhorned beetles
• Frass or sawdust from burrowing beetle grubs
• Damaged bark or branches

Some natural predators and animals can help control beetle populations. However, it is crucial to report any possible infestations for further investigation by experts.

Ecological and Economic Importance

Forest and Timber Damage

The Longhorn Beetle is known for causing damage to various tree species, such as ash and poplar trees. Adult beetles and their larvae feed on the wood and bark, weakening the trees and making them susceptible to diseases and other pests. Some examples of damage caused by Longhorn Beetles include:

• Weakening of timber, reducing its commercial value
• Creating entry points for harmful pathogens

Control and Management Strategies

There are a few different methods for managing Longhorn Beetle infestations. Some common strategies include:

Biological Control

• Release of natural predators, such as birds and insects

Chemical Control

• Insecticides applied to affected trees or areas

Physical Control

• Removal of infested trees

However, each method comes with its own set of pros and cons. Some factors to consider when selecting a control strategy include effectiveness, impact on non-target species, and cost.

Control Method	Pros	Cons
Biological	Eco-friendly, low risk to other species	May be slow acting
Chemical	Fast-acting, effective	Harmful to other species and the environment
Physical	Removes source of infestation	Labor-intensive, may not be feasible for large-scale infestations

In summary, Longhorn Beetles pose a threat to forests and timber value. It is essential to implement prompt and effective management strategies to minimize their impact and preserve the health of our ecosystems.

 

Footnotes

1. Beetle Life Cycle | Ask A Biologist ↩
2. Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↩
3. USDA APHIS | Asian Longhorned Beetle – About ↩
4. PDF Endangered Spc U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is Facts ↩
5. Longhorned Beetles (Borers; Sawyer Beetles) | Missouri Department of Conservation ↩
6. Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↩
7. Beetle Life Cycle | Ask A Biologist ↩

Reader Emails

Over the years, our website, whatsthatbug.com has received hundreds of letters and some interesting images asking us about these insects. Scroll down to have a look at some of them.

Letter 1 – Round Headed Borer Larva

 

grub in the wood
Location: houston, texas
May 2, 2011 10:24 am
I had a water oak that died a year ago. I chopped it down and was splitting the wood for firewood. This grub fell out. It was burrowed in the middle of the log and is about 2 and half inches long. What is it, and could it be the reason the tree died?
Signature: shawn

Hi Shawn,
This is the larva of a beetle in the family Cerambycidae, the Longhorned Borers.  The Larvae are known as Round Headed Borers.  You can compare your images to those posted to BugGuide.  The BugGuide information page indicates this about food:  “Larval habits: Most species feed within dead, dying or even decaying wood, but some taxa can use living plant tissue. Girdlers (adults of the Onciderini, larvae of genera in the tribes Methiini, Hesperophanini and Elaphidiini) sever living branches or twigs, with the larvae developing within the nutrient-rich distal portion. The larvae of a few species move freely through the soil, feeding externally upon roots or tunneling up under the root crown.”  BugGuide goes on to reveal this about the life cycle:  “The life spans in temperate regions typically range from 1 to 3 years, but cycles of 2-3 months to decades have been documented. Most of the lifetime is spent in the larval stage; the adults usually emerge, disperse, reproduce, and die within a few days to months. Cellulose digestion appears to be aided primarily by enzymes rather than symbiotic microorganisms. In many cases, Cerambycidae are primary borers, providing a vital ‘first step’ in the biorecycling of wood.”  The other major family of wood boring beetles are the Metallic Wood Borers in the family Buprestidae.  The Buprestid Larvae are known as Flat Headed Borers.  You may compare the Round Headed Borers to the Flat Headed Borers by looking at these images on BugGuide.  Except in rare cases, Borers feed on dead and dying wood and they do not infest the wood of healthy trees, so we doubt that the death of the tree was caused by this Round Headed Borer.

Letter 2 – Longicorn from South Africa

 

Hopefully not a borer
Location: South Africa, Johannesburg, Randburg
November 6, 2011 3:28 am
Hi, Hope you can help me in sunny South Africa. Our Leapard Tree (caesalpinia ferrea) all of a sudden started to die, only the one, and on this one we found a bunch of the attached bugs!, are these a type of borer?. I hope there little guys are not the reason for my trees lack want for life…
Signature: A little desperate

Dear A little desperate,
Your suspicions that this is a type of borer beetle are correct.  This is one of the members of the Longhorned Borer or Longicorn Family Cerambycidae.  We wanted to try to identify the species, and our initial search brought us to a photo of Ceroplesis capensis on the Biodiversity Explorer website.  It looks similar to your individual, but since Ceroplesis capensis has four red stripes, it is most likely a different species.  We searched the genus name and found an image from a South African Postage Stamp that is named Ceroplesis militaris, and it looks very similar to your individual.

The iSpot website also has an image identified as a Cape Longhorn Beetle in the genus Ceroplesis that looks very similar to your individual.  We are relatively confident we have the species correct, and since this is definitely a Longhorn Borer Beetle, it might have been responsible for the demise of your tree.

Letter 3 – Idaho Laurel Borer

 

what bug is this
Location: inkom Idaho
December 19, 2010 12:04 am
Just wondering what kind of beetle this is, found in late summer in Idaho
Signature: Kathy P

Hi Kathy,
This beautiful beetle is a Banded Alder Borer, and down south it is known as the California Laurel Borer, so since you are at the northern border, it would stand to reason that you have your own gene pool up north.  Unless DNA analysis is performed, we will probably never know if your beetle is a distinct subspecies, in which case it might be called an Idaho Laurel Borer.

Letter 4 – Tanbark Borer

 

Subject: What’s that bug?
Location: North America, New York, Waterford.
May 7, 2016 6:06 pm
North America, New York, Waterford.
Thinking some variety of longhorn beetle?
Signature: Trevor Grimm

Dear Trevor,
This is certainly a Longicorn Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and we believe it is the Eurasian Tanbark Borer, Phymatodes testaceus, a species that has become established in North America.  See images on BugGuide for verification.

Letter 5 – Poinciana Longicorns from Australia

 

Root Borer from AustraliaD
Location: Australia
December 16, 2010 5:12 am
Dear bug man
I found these two bugs flying around. I think they are a type of root borer. What do you think? And do they bite?
Signature: Jess

Hi Jess,
We believe we have correctly identified your Prionids, commonly called Root Borers, as the Poinciana Longicorn, Agrianome spinicollis, based on a photo posted to the Queensland Museum website.  That site indicates:  “This species is found in rainforest and open forest in eastern Australia. It is common in Queensland and New South Wales and also occurs on Lord Howe Island. The larvae are huge white grubs found in rotten wood, especially dead Poinciana or fig trees. It is an important pest of pecan trees. The large adults sometimes blunder into house lights.”  Graeme’s Insects of Townsville, Australia also has some nice photos of the Poinciana Longicorn.  We found an online reference to an overlooked publication on Australian insects that has this information:
“The information provided noted that the large white grubs (larvae) of A. spinicollis tunnel into
trees and feed upon the wood and that large oval (exit) holes are often observed on the bark. The
species usually attacks dead timber but beetles are occasionally found in living trees feeding upon
the green wood (Anon., 1934). As they burrow through the wood, they close up the tunnel behind
them with the excreta being pressed into a hard mass with the posterior abdominal segment
(Anon., 1934). The eggs are placed upon the bark or wood of the tree; the tiny larvae hatch from
the eggs and immediately bore into the wood tissue; even at this stage, the mandibles are hard and
strong (Anon., 1934). During September and October the mature larvae cease feeding and a
gradual change occurs within their bodies; the larva contracts, the skin becomes loose and the
body becomes soft and flabby; the larva becomes a pre-pupa which lasts about 2 weeks (Anon.,
1934). The skin then splits along the back of the head and thorax and is gradually worked down
the length of the body by a series of convulsive movements and then cast off, revealing a pearly
white pupa (Anon., 1934). The pupa rests in its pupal chamber for about 2 months; after the
final metamorphosis occurs, the pupal skin is cast off and the adult beetle emerges and remains in
the wood for a few days before eating its way out of the tree (Anon., 1934).”
Regarding your bite question, Prionids have strong mandibles that they need to chew their way out of their pupal chambers when they mature.  Large Prionids can deliver a painful bite that can draw blood, and they should be handled with caution.

Letter 6 – Bycid From Costa Rica: Taeniotes scalatus

 

Subject: cerambyx
Location: costa rica
March 25, 2013 12:20 pm
a dark brown with yellow dorsal line
Cerambycidae?
Signature: fred from belgium

Hi Again Fred,
You are correct that this is a Bycid or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  After searching fruitlessly for your previous Bycid, we are please to inform you that we believe we have correctly identified this individual as Taeniotes scalatus thanks to the Cerambycidae de Costa Rica site.

Letter 7 – Unknown Longicorn from Singapore

 

Bug with Striped feelers
April 30, 2010
I found this bug on one of my building structure in Singapore. Occasionally, the brown patch on the back will lift up to reveal wings. The feelers are very long. Do you know what bug this is?
Stanley
Singapore

Hi Stanley,
This is a Long Horned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, but we are uncertain of the species.  Perhaps one of our readers will attempt an identification while we are at work furthering the education of others.

Karl has an answer
Hi Daniel and Stanley:
I think this longicorn is probably Coptops leucostictica (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae:  Mesosini). I am fairly certain that is the genus, with an outside chance that it may be Mesosa. There is an excellent website called “Longhorned Beetles of Singapore” that you can explore, or go directly to a very nice photo of C. leucostictica. The species is found throughout mainland southeast Asia, Singapore and west to India. Regards.
Karl

Letter 8 – Longicorn from Texas: Elytrimitatrix undata

 

Subject: What is this bug?
Location: South central Texas, just east of San Antonio
May 21, 2016 7:17 pm
Hello! I was hoping you guys could help identify this bug, and let me know if it’s by any chance dangerous to our outdoor pets. At first I thought it might be a kissing bug, although I realize it is not. Thank you in advance!!  I meant to mention that it’s about a inch long, minus antennae.
Signature: Alan K., Seguin, TX

Dear Alan,
This is a Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  Though they are not poisonous, larger individuals do have very strong mandibles, and some species may draw blood if they bite.  The closest match we could find on BugGuide is Achryson surinamum, but we are not certain that is a correct identification.  We will try to contact Arthur Evans, an expert in Beetles, for assistance.

Correction courtesy of Arthur Evans
Arthur Evans provided us with a link to BugGuide and the identification of Elytrimitatrix undata, the only member of the genus found in North America and whose “Larvae [are found] in var. hardwoods and pine”

 

 

Letter 9 – Feather-Horned Longicorn from Australia

 

Sydney, Australia – Longicorn?
Sat, Dec 27, 2008 at 8:53 PM
I thought that perhaps this is a type of longicorn beetle but I haven’t been able to find a description of a longicorn with similar antennae. This was found in December (our summer) in the Sydney suburb of Lane Cove. The body length is around 20mm. I’m interested to hear what you think I’ve found.
Paul
Lane Cove, Sydney, Australia

Hi Paul,
We agree that this is some species of Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, possibly in the subfamily Prioninae. We would think a specimen this spectacular and distinctive would be easy to identify, but an identification is proving to be elusive for us. We found a new Australian website known as Insectographs, but could not find your beetle on it. We searched through all the Cerambycids on the Csiro Entomology page and the only one that looks close is the Feather-Horned Yellow Box Borer, Distichocera macleayi, but it is a mounted specimen. This may be a related species in the same genus, and we would not rule out the possibility that this is an introduced exotic specimen. We don’t feel confident with the Feather-Horned Yellow Box Borer identification unless someone else can write in to substantiate.

Daniel:
I lucked out just doing some calculated surfing:-) The beetle is Piesarthrius marginellus, indeed a longhorned beetle native to Australia. Neat insect!
Eric Eaton

Thanks Eric,
With the information you provided, we found the Feather-Horned Longicorn on a different Csiro Website than the one we originally searched as well as on the Up Close and Spineless website.

I meant to include the link I found:
http://www.cerambycoidea.com/foto.asp?Id=830
Sorry ’bout that!
Eric

Letter 10 – Longicorn from France is Weaver Beetle

 

Subject: Black beetle
Location: SW France, (Gers County)
May 25, 2015 7:04 am
I’m hoping that you may have seen this beetle in the USA as I’m living in SW France at the moment (not far from the Pyrénées). I’m a great bug fan and usually try to get pictures when they stay put long enough. This one did let me go and get my camera before taking off in the long grass.
Really a splendid specimen, in my opinion – but what is it?
Thank you for your help.
Signature: Suzy Stewart Dubot

Dear Suzy,
The first matching image we located of your Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae was on FlickR where it is identified as Lamia textor.  We learned on the site http://www.cerambyx.uochb.cz/lamia.htm that it “prefers willows (Salix) (rarely in Populus, Betula, Alnus)” as host plants and that it is distributed in “Europe, Russia.”  Though we prefer not to cite from Wikipedia, it is the only place we could find a common name:  Weaver Beetle.

Letter 11 – Possibly Rustic Borer

 

Subject: Scarred the sh*t out of me!
Location: Killeen Texas
April 6, 2013 2:41 am
So it’s about 4:00 am, and I felt a tingling ticklish feeling on my left ear, so I put my hand there and it’s stops. I start falling back asleep and then I feel it running around my finger, i thought it was a spider, so I attempt to fling it off, one last time I try going back to sleep, and then I feel the same ticklish feeling on my left ear again, so I got up a basically rip off my ear, after a few minutes of looking for it I found it. I just want to know if my house is infested, this is the first time this had happened to me.
Signature: Abel

Hi Abel,
This is one of the Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae.  It looks close to the Rustic Borer, Xylotrechus colonus, that is posted on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:”Larvae feed under the bark (occasionally in the bark) of hickory and other hardwoods, also pine” and  “Often attracted to UV lights.”  Many Cerambycids are found in homes because they were inadvertently brought in with the firewood by the owner or tenant while the beetles were in the dormant stage.  The heat of the home causes them to emerge.  They will not infest your home. 

Letter 12 – HuHu Beetle from New Zealand

 

moth? with flash
Location: new zealand
January 24, 2012 4:45 pm
I found this specimen sitting quite still on the garden path at night. it was apparently not bothered by the camera flash.
Signature: greg

Other enquiries suggest that it’s a Huhu beetle: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/insects-overview/8/2/1

Dear Greg,
We are happy to hear you self identified your HuHu Beetle, Prionoplus reticularis.  We have at least one previous submission of a HuHu Beetle in our archives, and we are very happy to include your letter and gorgeous photo as well.

Letter 13 – Unknown Longicorn from Jamaica

 

A friend of mine is inquiring …
July 5, 2009
A friend of mine is inquiring about the name and type of insect this is. After much searching on the internet and books of insects, I am still not able to identify it. Thank you in advance for your help.
• Your letter to the bugman    This picture was taken outside of a house in Jamaica, West Indies. The insect as unsual antenaes. They look like twigs and are longer in length then the body of the insect.
not sure
Jamaica, West Indies

Dear not sure,
This is some species of Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We will try to do additional research.

Update from Eric Eaton
July 20, 2009
Daniel:
The Jamaican longhorn is probably Neoptychodes trilineatus (See BugGuide), or at least in that genus, eh?  No problem, maan….:-)
Eric

Letter 14 – Endangered Great Capricorn Beetle from Bulgaria

 

Subject: flying bug
Location: bulgaria, varna area,
September 21, 2013 11:29 am
found in bulgaria, near coast, wooded area, it flys, but is docile, biggest we find is around 5 inch body length, 10 inch in total with the ”feelers at the front isnt uncommon..
they fly at around 45 degrees, ”head up” with the feelers up and over the head, quite scary when you 1st see one, very common around july time, in the kamchea region,
what is it??
Signature: wayne

Hi wayne,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Capricorn Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  We will attempt to identify it to the species level.  We found a matching image on Danail Doychev’s Coleoptera page where it is identified as Cerambyx cerdo.  We found a photo of Cerambyx cerdo in flight on Josef Hlasek’s Photo Gallery Wildlife Pictures.  According to Red List, it is a threatened species that has been listed as endangered at least as far back as 1986.  Arkive indicates:  “This large and beautiful beetle is among the largest of the European beetle species.”  The EU Wildlife and Sustainable Farming project 2009 has this helpful pdf available online.  Habitat loss is cited as a reason for the population decline.

many thanks, theres loads of these in kamchia national park, bulgaria, and very large too, so lets hope they are not gonna be so endangered in the future,,,
wayne

Letter 15 – Monkeypod Round-Headed Borer

 

What’s this bug?
August 27, 2009
This was found in early August in the Ka’u district of Hawaii island (south side of the island), outside the hospital crawling on the sidewalk. The orange cap is from a urine cup it was brought to me in, the bug is probably about an inch and a half long.
Alan Laird
Hawaii

Hi Alan,
We often have trouble identifying Hawaiian insects for two reasons.  One is that there doesn’t tend to be much available, easily accessible information online.  The second reason is that so many introduced species are found on the islands.  We quickly identified this Monkeypod Round-Headed Borer, Xystrocera globosa, on a Insects of Hawaii website.  There wasn’t much information, but it was indicated that it was non-native.  We then searched the scientific name and found an article on Five New Invasive Species of Longhorn Beetles in Israel.  There we learned that “X. globosa originatesfrom southeast Asia and is widely distributed inthe Oriental Region (East Pakistan, India [includ-ing Andaman Islands], Indonesia [Java, Suma-tra, Celebes], Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand,Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Seychelles), Ocea-nia (Australia [Northern Territory], New Guinea)(1,15), Hawaiian Islands (1,6)), Madagascan Re-gion (Madagascar, Rodriguez, Mauritius) (1),Caribbean (Puerto Rico) (1,6), and subtropicalareas of the Palaearctic Region (Arabia, Egypt(1), Japan (1,18), Korea, Taiwan (1)).”

Thanks!  I had searched for hours on a couple of large insect ID sites, but never thought to look locally…
Makes sense, too, because there are lots of monkeypod trees surrounding Ka’u hospital.
Mahalo!

Letter 16 – Tanbark Borer

 

Subject: Red headed beetle in SE PA?
Location: Southeastern PA
May 1, 2016 7:04 pm
Hi, we found this bug in our house in southeastern PA. After a web search, the closest I can ID is the blister beetle, but the head does not seem to be an exact match. Found today, mid-Spring. Grateful for any help identifying this bug!
Signature: -InsectIlliterate

Dear InsecIlliterate,
We believe we have correctly identified your Longhorned Borer Beetle from the family Cerambycidae as the Tanbark Borer, Phymatodes testaceus, a species that according to BugGuide is:  “native to Eurasia; widely established around the world, incl. e. US and, more recently, in the Pacific Northwest.”  According to iNaturalist:  “Larvae develop in and under the bark of various deciduous tree species, causing damage. Larvae pupate in the spring. The beetle’s life cycle lasts one year in central and southern parts, and two years in northern climes.”  It is described on Nature Spot as being:  “Length 8 to 13mm. Very variable in colour from golden brown, through reddish to a deep blue-black. A common form has the thorax reddish and the elytra deep blue.”

Letter 17 – Three Hungarian Beetles

 

Subject: unknown (to me) bugs 1,2,3
Location: hungary, south shore of lake balaton
July 7, 2013 12:07 am
hallo,
1 – this brown-winged thing populates my willow tree in may. what is it and is it harmful to fruit trees e.g. cherry, plum, apricot, pear? or is it harmful to anything else?

2 – this ladybird-like thing – is it a ladybird and does it damage my grapes or anything else?

3 – found this in wood i was about to chop up
i like bugs and i have a redstart with babies at the moment so i do not want to destroy anything he might want to eat, am just curious about the critters. i can look them up on the net once i know what they are called.
thanks
sue
Signature: sue

Hi Sue,
Beetle #1 is a Scarab in the family Scarabidae, but we do not know the species.  Beetle #3 is a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, but we do not know the species.  Beetle #2 is striking in color and markings, but we cannot determine its family.  It somewhat resembles the Pleasing Fungus Beetles in the family Erotylidae, but your photo does not reveal enough of the physical characteristics to be certain. 

Letter 18 – Longicorn from Thailand: Xylorhiza adusta

 

Subject: Identify insect
Location: Southern Thailand
January 23, 2017 3:01 am
My wife and I saw this insect angling on a wall. Southern Thailand. We and several Thai people would like to know what it is and any information you may supply.
Thanking you in advance,
Dan & Mari Brown
Marysville, Washington USA
Signature: Dan R Brown

Dear Dan,
This is a positively gorgeous Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  We believe we have correctly identified it as Xylorhiza adusta thanks to images on Singapore Fauna where it states:  “It has a wide distribution in Asia, from India to China and down to Sumatra. Known host plants include Beautyberry trees (Callicarpa arborea and C. macrophylla); plant from the mint family (Premna pyramidata); Viburnum odoratissimum and Wrightia tinctoria: both a kind of small shrubby tree.”  We also found images on FlickR and The Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery.

Thank you for identifying the insect. Many did not know its type. Now many have a new respect for this living being.
Dan R Brown

Letter 19 – Common Tuft Bearing Longhorn from Thailand

 

Subject: Weird bug!
Location: Northern Thailand
July 19, 2015 7:25 am
We would like to know what kind of bug this is!
It was found in Thailand!
Signature: Eline en Esra

Dear Eline en Esra,
Your beetle is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and just yesterday we spent about an hour attempting to identify another member of the family from Thailand, Cyriopalus wallacei, so we knew the best place to start searching for the identity of your individual.  We went straight to the Worldwide Cerambycoidea Photo Gallery and filtered individuals from Thailand, and then on page 3 we found the Common Tuft Bearing Longhorn, Aristobia horridula.

pBase has a nice image of a living specimen.

Letter 20 – Longhorned Borer From Costa Rica

 

Beetle ID
March 12, 2010
Hi
Trying to get an ID on this beetle from Costa Rica.
I’m not very familiar with my bugs and wouldn’t know where to start looking.
So here I am.
Alex
Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Hi Alex,
WE are not certain which of the Longhorned Borer Beetles in the subfamily Prioninae you have submitted.  It may be Callipogon barbatus, though a dorsal view photograph of the entire specimen might be necessary to be certain of the identification.

Thanx Daniel
For taking the time to try and help me ID this beetle. You’ve at least put me on the right track.
I found two more photos which may help you be more certain of your ID.
I see many similarities between the Callipogon barbatus that you suggested but also many differences.
Thank you again
-Alex

Hi again Alex,
Thanks for sending additional photos.  This will probably help immensely in identifying this Root Borer, though we need to go to the market to buy dinner before we do any additional research.

Hi Daniel and Alex:
These are lovely shots of what I believe is a Mallodon spinibarbis (Prioninae:  Mallodontini). It could also be M. molarius, but I think that is less likely. It ranges from Mexico to South America as far down as Argentina. You could also check out the Worldwide Cerambycoidea Photo Gallery, which has several images of this species, as well as several other Mallodon species that occur in Costa Rica.  I will be visiting the Osa Peninsula next week so this helps to get me pumped (as if I needed it). Thanks.
Karl

Thanks Karl,
You appear to have nailed it again.

Thank you both.
Karl I just got back from Osa it was fantastic but SO HOT!!!!!
Heres a link to a few photos I took while there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/84131087@N00/sets/72157623321583931/
Have fun. I wish I was headed back!
-Alex

Letter 21 – Poinciana Longicorn

 

Bug from Central Australia
Location: Alice Springs, Central Australia, Northern Territory
March 11, 2011 4:56 am
Hello,This was found in a water trough at a preschool. It was an unusually overcast and chilly 8am. It is approx 6.5cm in length. All the children would be so glad to find out what is.
Thank you for your time
Signature: T. King

Dear T. King,
We believe you have found a Poinciana Longicorn, Agrianome spinicollis, which we identified on Graeme’s Insects of Townsville, Australia website.  This past December, we provided a lengthy answer to someone who submitted another photo of a Poinciana Longicorn and you may read that in our archives.

Wow,
Thank you so much for the reply. That’s definately our new friend!
I will pass on the information to the preschool teachers.
I note that it is a species usually not found in Alice Springs Northern Territory. Maybe a traveller? We have had unseasonally large amounts of rain and a high level of humidity over the last year. A factor?
I wonder if there have been any more sightings in Alice Springs?
Maybe the preschool could post a photo and letter in our local paper to see if they get a response?
If they aren’t interested, I am! I am sure they will be though.
I wonder what we shall do with him? Any suggestions? Food is an issue as well.
What a wonderful example of the sharing of knowledge and the potential for positive exchange and connection using the internet. Insects and other smaller species of animals are often neglected and misunderstood so thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this learning experience with these children, another smaller wonderful species!
Kind regards and much appreciation
Tarnya King

Hi again Tarnya,
Weather, especially rain, is often a major contributing factor to insect appearances.  Additional sightings in Alice Springs are most easily researched on your end.  We would urge you to release your catch.

Letter 22 – Longhorn Cactus Fly

 

Subject:  Dinner Guest
Geographic location of the bug:  Ventura, Ca
Date: 08/01/2018
Time: 10:15 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hello Bugman,
I was dining alfresco this evening, and st the end of the meal (ordered as take out from a local Palestinian deli/cafe, I noted a friend in my plate with what appeared to be a suction cup, enjoying some yogurt sauce on my plate.
I’m wondering who this might be??
How you want your letter signed:  Melanie on the Irish Chain

Dear Melanie on the Irish Chain,
Was there any red wine consumed at your meal?  This appears to be a Longhorn Cactus Fly, Odontoloxozus longicornis, and our very first posting of this species in 2007 included a comment from Michael W. that “Interesting that the adults like red wine.”  Flies have mouths adapted to slurping up fluids, and you were very astute to notice its feeding habits.  The Longhorn Cactus Fly is also represented on BugGuide and on the Natural History of Orange County site.

Fascinating! No red wine, but a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio were in very close proximity to the plate.

Letter 23 – Longicorn from Malaysia

 

Subject: Flying beetle
Location: Penang Malaysia
September 15, 2016 7:15 pm
Recently when staying in Penang, Malaysia, I was ‘visited’ by this beetle. An interesting colour arrangement and was glad to obtain a photo of it before it flew away. Have tried to identify it but drawn a blank so far. Loved the orange tipped feelers.
Signature: Many thanks, Allen

Hi Allen,
This gorgeous Longicorn is Pachyteria dimidiata, a species found in Southeast Asia.  There is a nice image from Thailand on FlickR and it is also depicted on BioLib.

Letter 24 – Longicorn from Puerto Rico: Chlorida festiva

 

Subject: Green beetles
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico
October 17, 2013 11:52 am
These two beetles o the same species entered my house at night a few days ago. I electrocuted them with my electric tennis racket and was wondering what they were. Never saw these before in my life. Sorry I had to kill them but they were driving me crazy buzzing around me while at the computer.
I placed them in different positions so you could see the dorsal and ventral parts. The colors on the photo are true.
Signature: Irma Saldana

Hi Irma,
Nearly two years ago we posted several photos of this Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we had it identified as Chlorida festiva.  According to American Insects, it is nocturnal, and many beetles are attracted to lights, so we are guessing they gained access through an open window after being attracted to the indoor illumination.

WOW!  That was fast!  Thank you very much.
Irma

Letter 25 – Mystery: Unknown Longicorn from Philippines is Macrophysis luzona

 

Huge beetle found dead
July 2, 2010
Hi! here’s a beetle we found dead. All I can say is it’s huge. I think you can easily id this… is this the wood boring insect? I don’t know much about it yet. First time I saw it I thought it was a giant cockroach. 😛 thanks!
Joy
Northern Mindanao

Hi Joy,
That is one impressive Longicorn, a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  We are posting your letter and photos in the hopes that one of our readers will assist in the identification.  We will also continue to scour the internet in the hopes of finding out the identity of your impressive Longicorn.

Letter 26 – Longicorn from Australia: Rhytiphora saundersi

 

What is it???
Location: Valley Of The Winds, Northern Territory, Australia
February 21, 2011 4:47 pm
I saw this beastie whilst walking around the Olgas,Uluru National Park, NT, Australia a couple of weeks ago and can’t identify it. Hope you can help!!
Didn’t see anymore but it was approximately six centimetres in length and two centimetres wide.
Many thanks!!
Signature: ??

” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/cerambycid_penthea_saundersi_australia-300×249.jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”249″> White Spotted Beetle

Dear ??,
While we have been successful in quickly identifying your gorgeous Longicorn Beetle, we are unfortunately unable to assist with your own identity.  We found your Longicorn’s identity on a website of vintage Shell Picture Cards of Beetles.  It is identified as the White Spotted Beetle, Penthea saundersi, on Shell Picture Card 318.  The Shell Picture Card website indicates:  “Card data: ‘This large and truly magnificent black beetle, with its ornamentation of whitish spots, is a native of Western Australia. It is a Longicorn belonging to the Cerambycidae family.  Calodema Supplementary Paper No. 46 (2007)  Adult beetles of this species are usually found crawling about on twigs or small branches of trees in the daytime. The larvae, or grubs, are borers. ‘  Comments: Nothing appears to have been written on the biology of this species since publication of the Shell Picture Card series.”  We also located a photo on FlickR.  Again, this is a spectacular Longicorn and we are pleased to be able to post it as there are so few photos of this species available online.

Correction:  Rhytiphora saundersi
Thanks to a comment from Mark H, we now know that this lovely Longicorn is Rhytiphora saundersi.  The Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery has a photo and Lochman Transparencies has many lovely images of living specimens.

Letter 27 – Longicorn from U.S. Virgin Islands: Lagocheirus guadeloupensis

 

Subject:  Longicorn BVI
Geographic location of the bug:  St. John USVI
Date: 03/29/2018
Time: 12:29 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hello, I found the letter from the gentleman in BVI about this beetle. I too found one here in the USVI, Just across the channel from the BVI.  Here is a  picture of the one I found. I’m betting it all that it’s the same bug.
How you want your letter signed:  B. Crites

Dear B. Crites,
Thanks to your excellent images, we believe we have identified both your Longicorn and the individual in the previous posting you cited as Lagocheirus guadeloupensis thanks to Cerambycidae de las Antillas.  A mounted individual is also pictured on Coléopteres des Antilles.  A live individual is pictured on Inventaire National du Patrimoine Naturel.

My photos are of a very alive one also. Thanks so much for getting back to my. Are these native or invasive. Natural or harmful, do you know? What a great site you have. Similar to mine, but mine is Marine wildlife.
Barb Crites

Hi again Barb,
We will continue to research and hopefully find the host tree or trees.  All indications are that this is a native species for you.  It is possible that fallen trees due to the hurricanes have provided a food source for the larvae, but most Longicorns remain in the larval stage for several years, so these two sightings are probably premature to be connected to the recent hurricanes.

Hi Daniel, I can add that this beetle looks very similar to the mango tree borer, which I would guess got here the same way the wild growing mango trees did.a local resident thinks they are a pest to our turpentine trees. How true that is I don’t know. I have a tendance to agree with you that we are seeing them now because of all the down tree matter from the hurricanes.
Barb

Letter 28 – Small Mulberry Borer

 

Subject:  Long antennae!
Geographic location of the bug:  New York (nyc)
Date: 06/28/2019
Time: 07:45 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Went to sleep last night and heard a noise by my ear and found this on my pillow!
How you want your letter signed:  Sarah

Dear Sarah,
This is one of the Longicorns or Long Horned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae, and after a bit of searching, we are confident we have correctly identified it as a Small Mulberry Borer, Dorcaschema alternatum, thanks to images posted to BugGuide.  According to BugGuide, the larvae feed on:  “Dead or dying branches of mulberry, osage orange.”  Some members of this family are attracted to lights.  In any case, we believe it accidentally entered your bed and it was not there for any nefarious purposes.  Many members of this family are also capable of making squeaking noises by rubbing parts of their bodies together, a phenomenon known as stridulation.

Letter 29 – Red Oak Borer

 

Red Oak Sawyer
July 13, 2009
This lovely lady was sitting on my back porch during a rainstorm in july. She was very slow moving and docile, although when i got to bothersome she made a high pitched squealing/croaking sound. I waited for the rain to stop and returned her to the backyard.
Morgan
Birmingham, AL

Dear Morgan,
Thanks so much for providing us with these excellent images of a Red Oak Borer, Enaphalodes rufulus.  According to BugGuide:  “Two-year life cycle. Eggs are laid beneath the scales of the bark on living oak (or sometimes maple) trees. Larvae feed beneath the bark for the first year, then migrate to heartwood for second year. They overwinter as larvae and pupate in spring, emerge in spring and summer. Can be abundant enough to cause substantial damage at times. Adults come to lights.“

Letter 30 – Stump Borer from US Virgin Islands

 

Subject: large beetle
Location: west end of St Thomas, USVI
November 29, 2016 5:26 pm
Hi, Bugman.
I live in the US Virgin Islands. After coming home today, I noticed a large (about 9 cm long) brownish-black beetle hiding in a notch in the outside of our balcony railing. I was hoping I could get a better photo if it came out from its hiding spot after dark, but it hasn’t moved yet. I tried identifying it going on the assumption that it’s a stag beetle, but I’ve been going in circles trying to pinpoint the species. Can you help me?
Signature: Stumped on St Thomas

Dear Stumped on St Thomas,
This is NOT a Stag Beetle.  It is a Prionid or Stump Borer in the tribe Mallodonini.  I greatly resembles the Hardwood Stump Borer, Mallodon dasystomus, a North American species that is known to range as far south as Columbia.  It might be the same species as this Prionid from Puerto Rico.  The site Insectoid has a checklist of species from the Caribbean.  According to the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery, Hovorodon bituberculatum  is found on St Thomas.  The mandibles on your individual indicate it is a male.  We would advise that you steer clear of those mandibles as they look like they might do some damage.

Hi, Daniel.
Thank you for all the information. He’s still in his spot on our railing, and looking more and more like the male Hovorodon bituberculatum. I agree that his mandibles look strong and sharp and I will definitely stay out of their way.
~Mae

Letter 31 – South African Longhorned Borer Beetle: Phantasis species

 

South African Beetle, slightly larger than a dung beetle
March 26, 2010
Seen on roadway in Kruger National Park, slightly larger than standard Dung Beetle
Norm Arnett
South Africa

Dear Norm,
This is quite an unusual beetle.  We believe it is one of the Longhorned Beetles in the family Cerambycidae, though we would love corroboration from someone with more experience.  We will contact Eric Eaton to see what he thinks.

Hi, Daniel:
Thanks for making my day:-)  I’m really suffering from allergies right now, and without health insurance I can’t get my Allegra!  A-a-a-a-a-CHOO!  Your questions always take my mind off whatever is ailing me….
Yes, the beetle from Africa is definitely in the Cerambycidae family.  I think I even have a genus for you:  Phantasis.  See this link, it looks just like the female (the one on the right in this image):
http://www.cerambycoidea.com/foto.asp?Id=1352
Really neat find.
Keep up the great work Daniel:-)
Eric
P.S.  Hey, next year, when your book is out, we should go in on a table at the Bug Fair and do signings!

Update
April 24, 2010
Were you ever able to find anything more on this unusual beetle? I couldn’t match it to any photos of Cerambycidae.
Thanks,
Norm Arnett

Dear Norm,
Sometimes we are unable to write back multiple times to answer requests.  Had you revisited our website, you would have found that your beetle was identified.

THank you for that! sorry to have bothered you. I misunderstood your earlier reply and mistakenly assumed that you would respond directly.

Dear Norm,
There is no need to apologize.  Like we indicated earlier, we try to give personal responses as well as posting letters to the website, but followups are sometimes quite difficult because we have to search through the numerous emails we receive to track down the sender’s address.

 

Letter 32 – Monkeypod Round-Headed Longhorn Beetle from the Philippines

 

Subject: Blister beetle
Location: Philippines
September 10, 2016 12:03 am
I’m not sure if this is a blister beetle. Please help me identify the insect. Thank you.
Signature: Paz Santos

Dear Paz,
This is NOT a Blister Beetle, but rather, a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We have not had any luck determining a species.  Perhaps one of our readers will write in with a species identification.

Karl Identifies the Monkeypod Round-Head Longhorn Beetle
Hi Daniel and Paz Santos:
I believe your longicorn is Xystrocera globosa. Common names include Two-lined Albizia Longhorn and, more colourfully, Monkeypod Round-Headed Longhorn Beetle. I really like the photo. Regards, Karl.

Ed. Note:  Be sure to check out Karl’s new Facebook page of insect macrophotography from northern Manitoba, Canada.

Letter 33 – Mating Kiawe Round Headed Borers from Hawaii

 

what’s that bug? is it benefitial?
January 19, 2010
I was sawing a bush that is called here (in Hawaii) Holy Coa. suddenly these bugs apeared out of nowhere. Here are 2 photos of them.
v.
Kauai Hawaii USA

Dear v.,
We thought your beetle bore an uncanny resemblance to the Mesquite Borer, Placosternus difficilis, a species BugGuide reports from Texas and the “Southern tier of U.S. states, south to Honduras; Cuba, Bahamas.”  We then did a web search to see if the Mesquite Borer was introduced to Hawaii, and we were immediately led to another BugGuide page of an insect found in Hawaii and placed in the same genus, but with the disclaimer:  “Placosternus crinicornis (Chevrolat)  has been recorded from Hawaii but not P. difficilis.”  We followed that thread and were led to the Insects of Hawaii page on Placosternus crinicornis, the Kiawe or Prosopis Round Headed Borer which is listed as non-native.  It may also be found on an Invasive Species website.  According to Wikipedia, Kiawe or Prosopis limensis is a species of mesquite native to South America.  Since neither the insect nor its host are native to Hawaii, it is fair to say that neither are beneficial to helping to maintain the indigenous biodiversity of Kauai.

Letter 34 – Borer Beetle: Neoclytus mucronatus

 

Walking cricket wasp????
We found this bug in the Dallas, TX area on July 20, 2007 in the evening just before dusk. It was in the bed of our pickup so it must be able to fly. We tried finding pictures and using the guided identification links on the web, but can’t find anything. We left it in a bottle overnight and were surprised to find it fine in the morning. It has a hard exoskeleton, the markings of a wasp, and the legs of a cricket. The black covering on the back appears to be a set of wings, but we couldn’t tell. It did not act aggressive or defensive. We let it go after we took the pictures, and it crawled away with the same movements of a walking cricket. So what do you think? By the way, we love your web site and use it for scouts and for my 7 year old son, who claims to have a goal of moving to Costa Rica and becoming an entomologist. Thanks,
Eddie Schutter
Dallas , TX

Hi Eddie,
This is a wasp mimic Borer Beetle in either the genus Clytus or Neoclytus. We are inclined to favor Clytus, but we will seek additional assistance from Eric Eaton to try to get a proper identification. Here is Eric’s response: “Daniel: The beetle is a Neoclytus, probably N. mucronatus, as those spines on the tip of the hind tibia are, I think, peculiar to that species. I have seen them swarming over branches broken off trees by storms. Great job just getting the beetle down to two genera! Eric”.

(07/25/2007) Cerambycid
Hi Guys:
The cerambycid from Dallas, TX is Neoclytus mucronatus. It breeds in various species in the Elm family.
ian

Letter 35 – Endangered Great Capricorn Beetle from Montenegro

 

Subject:  Big black smth on the beach
Geographic location of the bug:  Montenegro, Herceg Novi
Date: 06/22/2021
Time: 05:09 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hello,
I noticed this strange creature on the beach the other day, maybe not even a bug but possibly it is. It was on the beach in the evening, mid June. Quite big in size, about 6-8 cm.
I’d appreciate if you could help identify it.
Thanks
How you want your letter signed:  Elena R

Dear Elena,
This is a Longicorn Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and we believe it is Monochamus sartor.  According to Cerambycidae, the range is “Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine.”  It is also pictured on BioLib.

Letter 36 – Wood Boring Beetle Grub and subsequent Controversy

 

WTB
I have never seen anything like this befor here in Michigan.
Thanks
Evan Owens

Hi Evan,
Please give us some context. Did you find it in the bathroom? We don’t think so. Did you find it in the pantry? We don’t think so. Was it crawling across the driveway? We don’t think so. Was it eating the leaves on your rose bush? We don’t think so. We believe it was found in a wood pile. This is the Grub of a Beetle in the Family Cerambycidae, the Long Horned Borers. They spend their lives feeding on wood, pupate inside the stump and emerge as winged adults.

Dear Bugman I found this bug (Wood Boring Beetle Grub) in the yard and it’s all sand I was working in Rosscommon on a house in the woods but about 1 acre of it is all sand where i found it .no grass and no wood pile and no wood in the imediate area, but was close to the driveway. Thank you again for your help.
Evan

Hi again Evan,
We have a new theory. Perhaps the grub was living in cut lumber. There are species that can emerge as winged adults years after construction.

We stand chastised
(09/30/2005) Hi. My friends and I read your site daily to look at all the fastinating new bugs. We were quite dismayed with your reply to Evans Owens who sent you a picture of the wood boring beetle grub. Were you courteous? WE DONT THINK SO. Were you pleasant? WE DONT THINK SO. Were you nice? WE DONT THINK SO. Were you polite? WE DONT THINK SO. We think that since you are in the “public eye”, that you should not chastise the people who write to you for help. What good really would it have done if he told you where he found it? On July 17th, this year, Dave and Wendy told you they found a pseudoscorpion in a box of cereal. Did that help you identify it? WE DONT THINK SO !!!

Hi there, This wasn’t meant as a discourtesy as much as it was meant to comment on the lack of information in the query. We stand chastised and will post your comment beneath our original response. At least we didn’t use email shouts in our response which was actually meant to be funny. Occasionally a joke will fall flat. We hope our unintentional rudeness hasn’t cost us a reader. We still love the letter with the Pseudoscorpion in the cereal, and in actuality, we did identify it.

Evan Responds: (10/01/2005)
Sorry everyone took it as rude, I took it as funny, As in, where did you find it? I did not feal insulted or put down in any way. I guss I should of put LOL after I found it by the driveway , (LOL) But I also appreciate the concern of your readers, And I thank them too. The home is over 10 years old and it’s a modular home, And the wood is all treated lumber that we where using, so how it got there is beyond me, and your guess is probably better than mine (LOL) and there is about 100 acres of woods there . P.S. im not in to bugs much, but i do like to know what it is im looking at when i do see one I’ve never seen before and im glad I found your website, I now have it saved in my Fav. websites. and I thank you for your help.
Evan

Additonal Information
(09/30/2005) Evan Owens Ash Borer
Hello Bugman,
I’ve been appreciating your site for some time, since ID’ing a Great Golden Digger Wasp flying around hoarding Katydids in my wife’s flowers, and regularly click on it to see what’s up on your main page. Thanks for the work you’re doing. I’m just writing to shed a little light on a picture on your main page. I’m from northern lower Michigan and the boring worm that Evan Owens on 9/29/05 has pictured is an import that is giving the forest service around here fits. Since it is a newcomer to Evan, it is likely an Emerald Ash Borer grub, and it kills trees, specifically Ashes. Southeastern Michigan has had its parks and woods practically culled (an estimated 8 to 10 million trees since their introduction in 2002) of Ash trees over the past few years, and the insects are continually spreading as people move firewood (containing the voracious larva) to northern and western campsites in our state, Ohio, and Indiana. If Evan, or anyone else that spots them, is outside the known range of these pests, Michigan has a hotline for reporting their spread and disposal sites for infected wood (866-325-0023.) Michigan also quarantines areas and bans the transporting of firewood but the rules are all but unforcible. The best tool right now for stopping them is early detection and eradication, but that will only come with education. For further information, here are some very informative links that include pictures of the insect, where it came from, and efforts to contain it:
http://www.emeraldashborer.info/
http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1568_2390_18298—,00.html
I know your site isn’t dedicated to removing pests, but this is one exotic that could use the boot.
Weston Tulloch
Bay City, MI

Thank you for your insiteful letter Weston. One comment we would like to add is that many Wood Boring Beetles have similar appearing grubs and this might actually be a native species. We also stand by this being a Cerambycid and not a Buprestid which the Emerald Ash Borer is. Cerambycid grubs have much larger heads.

Letter 37 – Gorgeous Longicorn from the Philippines: Cereopsius praetorius possibly

 

Some Ladybug Impostor
February 25, 2010
Ever since I bought my camera, it had always been my wish to be able to take a photo of a nice red ladybug with those cute black spots. I never had a chance, however, as I always see those ladybugs with a dull yellow color instead. One day, during a company outing, I saw this HUGE ladybug-like insect on the lamp post and I thought my dream of a ladybug picture had finally come true (with a large one to boot!). But looking at it, it doesn’t really seem to be a ladybug at all, except for the colors. This was confirmed by everything-ladybug.com, who said that ladybugs are fairly consistent in their oval/round shape, which is not true in this insect. So, since my dreams are all crushed now, I just want to know what bug this is who tried to fool me into thinking that it’s a ladybug… Thanks in advance for your help in this!
Beverley
Laguna, Philippines

Dear Beverley,
While we think Ladybugs are lovely creatures, we feel that the subject of your photo, a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, is far more special.  We tried doing a web search, and found the Insect Designs website of specimens for sale.  One species from the Philippines,  Cereopsius praetorius, looks close, and there is a note that the pattern varies.  We found a second website, Saluguband Philippine Beetles, with images of dead specimens as well.  Though the markings on the dead specimens are similar to your photo, the colors are not nearly as vivid.  Often dead specimens lose their vibrant coloration.  Perhaps Karl will have better luck confirming this identification.

Hi Daniel,
Wow, I’m really impressed how fast you guys can identify bugs.  Anyway, I’m also grateful for your reply.  Now I can appreciate this ladybug impostor more knowing that it is far more special than the ladybug it is trying to look like 🙂
Beverley

Karl Agrees
I think you got it, Daniel. It must be a Cereopsius and although there are at least 10 species in the Philippines, none look nearly as close as C. praetorius (I was able to find images of all but one). K

Letter 38 – Longicorn is Knulliana cincta

 

Subject: OK Long Horned Beetle
Location: Owasso, Tulsa County, Oklahoma
August 15, 2016 7:56 pm
Dear Bugman,
Hoping you can help with identification of this longicorn. I looked through all the sub-families and tribes under “Cerambycidae” on Bug Guide and did not find this one… rather frustrating, but a good use of time, nonetheless.
Many thanks,
Signature: Critterphile

Dear Critterphile,
We were expecting this to take quite a chunk of time, but we got lucky quickly.  We have correctly identified your Longicorn as a Banded Hickory Borer, Knulliana cincta, thanks to this and other Bugguide images.  This BugGuide posting highlights many of the distinctive features:  “spines on thorax, apex (tip) of elytra, and legs (femora). These are mentioned as distinguishing features in field guides.”  BugGuide also notes:  “There are no other NE longhorns of similar size and coloration that have strong spines on the femora, pronotum, and elytral apices.” 

Letter 39 – Neoclytus Borer Beetle from Oregon

 

What’s this bug
Can you tell me what species of Neoclytus this is? I live in Medford, Oregon, and this is the second specimen I’ve found in a week (February) on stacked firewood. We live primarily among Ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir, but there is also a lot of Madrone and White and Black oak here as well. Hopefully it is a native species, and I won’t have to worry about my woods. I’ve kept one alive on a bread and peanut butter diet for two weeks now. Thank you,
Jerry Burke

Hi Jerry,
We need to do additional research, including requesting assistance from Eric Eaton, before we can get you the exact species of Neoclytus you have found. Here is Eric’s opinion: ” The Neoclytus is probably N. conjunctus, but there is a great deal of individual variation in the markings. Eric “

Letter 40 – Prionid from Australia may be Acacia Longicorn

 

Subject: australian beetle or bug
Location: Maryborough, Queensland, Australia
November 18, 2014 4:03 am
Dear Bugman
I don’t even know if this site is still running or tended regularly, so I will just send this and hope for the best.
I live in Australia, the land of Poisonous Things. I am wary of anything that looks like it might bite me, and this insect has me horrified.
It can fly. It reminds me of a weevil, but bigger – almost as long as an adults thumb. Hard, dark brown, shiny shell with thick legs and antenna. Long body.
And the most awful looking pincer type arrangement at the head.
It looked awful and I had my husband remove it from the house. I have never seen anything quite like it – can you help?
I have attached the clearest picture I could take without getting too close!
Signature: Warm regards, Carly Philp

Dear Carly,
This is a Longhorned Borer or Longicorn in the subfamily Prioninae, and we believe, based on images posted to BushCraftOz that it might be an Acacia Longicorn, Eurynassa australis.  According to BushCraftOz :  “Found under eucalypt bark, with head protruding. Larvae live in dead wood of acacia species. Large beetle ~40 mm.”  Beetles in the family Cerambycidae have powerful mandibles, and large individuals, like the one you found, might deliver a painful bite if carelessly handled, and the bite might even draw blood.  Though a nip might be painful, it is not dangerous as the Longicorns are not venomous.

Hi Daniel
Thank you for the information. I just couldn’t find any details on a native species with such big pincers!
I really appreciate your email, and the time to look into it for me.
Cheers
Carly

Letter 41 – Longicorn from Botswana: Prosopocera lactator

 

Subject:  Botswana Bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Leroo La Tau Safari Camp Botswana
Date: 12/12/2017
Time: 04:19 AM EDT
Distinctive white backed beetle with brown strip bisecting the back sperimpsed by two opposite diagonal stripes of the same colour. See photograph.
How you want your letter signed:  Mr Sykes

Dear Mr Sykes,
We quickly identified this gorgeous Longicorn as Prosopocera lactator on Insect Designs, and we learned on Cerambycoidea.com that it is reported from “Angola, Zambia, S Tanzania, Malawi and N Mozambique” but not Botswana which is curious as Botswana is quite close to the countries listed in the range.

Letter 42 – Spotted Tree Borer

 

Subject:  Beetle? What is this?
Geographic location of the bug:  Southern California
Date: 02/27/2020
Time: 08:13 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  What kind of bug is this and will it bite? Does it fly?
How you want your letter signed:  Kayla

Hi Kayla,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and we are very confident that it is a Spotted Tree Borer, Synaphaeta guexi, based on images posted to the Natural History of Orange County site.  It does fly and it has very strong mandibles it uses to chew its way to the surface after it matures from a wood boring larva to a winged adult.

Letter 43 – Unidentified Longhorned Borer Larva

 

larvae ID
Attached is a picture of a larvae caught near our cabin in Arnold Ca (Calaveras County). Can you help me identify what pest this is? We have lost one pine tree to it and may lose others given the drought conditions. Thanks.
Larry Rillera

Hi Larry,
This is some species of Long Horned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae. Probably nothing short of disection and DNA analysis will get you an exact species. If your goal is an exact species, you will need to research which members of the family feed on pine in your locality and try to narrow the possibilities from there. BugGuide is a great source for information. Beetle larvae in general are much more difficult to identify than caterpillars. We will see if Eric Eaton can provide a novice’s guide to differentiating Cerambycids from Buprestids, the two main wood boring families of beetles.

Update: (06/14/2008)
Daniel:
Ok, how to tell whether it is a longhorn beetle grub (Cerambycidae) or a metallic woodborer larva (family Buprestidae). Well, in the larval stage, cerambycids are known as “roundheaded borers” while buprestids are called “flatheaded borers.” Indeed, it would appear as though the front quarter of a buprestid larva has been flattened like a pancake, greatly expanded on either side, followed behind by a much more slender body. Roundheaded borers are not flattened, though may show some depressed areas on the thorax, as the specimen in this image shows. Buprestid larvae, as they bore, leave behind them fine, tightly-packed “frass,” often in a ringed or fingerprint pattern. “Frass” is a polite name for insect poop, and it amounts to sawdust for woodborers. Roundheaded borers leave behind very coarse, fibrous frass. Apparently, a foolproof way to differentiate the two is thus: buprestid larvae have a hardened plate on the first segment behind the head, both on top and underneath. Cerambycid larvae lack the plate on the underside (per Western Forest Insects by R.L. Furniss and V.M. Carolin, 1977, U.S. Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication No. 1339). Hope that clarifies things (seems like one has to put everything under a scope to tell the difference….). Take it easy. Great work as always on everything else.
Eric

Letter 44 – Longicorn and Cricket Snack from Thailand

 

THAILAND BUG
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
February 20, 2011 8:17 am
I happen to be in a remote village in the northeast of Thailand and chanced upon this beautiful bug. Could you please help me identify the first picture?
The second picture is actually our snack this afternoon, just to share with you.
Signature: Joseph

Hi Joseph,
Your beetle is a Long Horned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  They are frequently called Longicorns.  We are trying to tear ourselves away from the computer to enjoy the morning sunshine since we have had a string of storms here in Los Angeles the past few days, so we are not going to take the time at the moment to hunt down a species identification for you.  Perhaps one of our readers will provide a comment.  Your snack appears to be Crickets with Green Onions, but we are not certain.  Can you verify the identity of your snack as well as providing any information on where you purchased it?  We understand insect food items are commonly sold by street vendors in Thailand.

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your quick reply.
The snack is not cricket with green onions. I really have no idea the English name but in Thailand it is know as “maeng-ser-din” it is not even a Thai language but rather a dialect spoken by the north-east people of Thailand which constitute the largest group of ethnic people in Thailand. They are known as the Essan or Isaan people. If you follow the news here they belong to the red shirt people. I could not find a live maeng-ser-din so I Googled and found this:
These are not like from the drain or some dirty places on the contrary they are reared in a form like his:
As for the green stuff it is commonly known as Pandan leaf here. South East Asian cooking uses a lot of this to add a natural sweet fragrance or natural green colour to the food. It is also use to wrap food and deserts to add fragrance. The other name is Screw Pine leaf or Pandanus and looks like this:
joe

Thanks for the follow up Joe.  We wish you had included links to the images you found.  We had no luck googling “maeng-ser-din” and we wanted to allow our readership to see the images you attached to your response.  We don’t normally use images grabbed from the internet, but in this case, we are making an exception.  The image you attached does depict Crickets, and Crickets are easy to raise in bulk in captivity.

Identification Courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Joseph:
The Longicorn appears to be a female Gerania bosci (Lamiinae:  Lamiini), which occurs from India to Indonesia. There is some variability in the coloration, ranging from brown to black markings on a nearly white to bright yellow background. The males are larger and have much elongated appendages. Regards. Karl

Letter 45 – Cerambycid Grub

 

Mystery Grubs
Hi Daniel,
A friend sent these photos. He has been having a problem with mature Ficus benjamina trees dying and recently found these creatures. Any idea what they are and how to control them? These are from Cabo Pulmo, southern Baja California, Mexico .
Muchas gracias, Diane

Hi Diane,
That is one big Grub. We believe it is a Prionus Grub and are awaiting a confirmation from Eric Eaton. Here is what Eric wrote back: “Geez!! I don’t know what else it COULD be! Defilnitely Ceramybicidae. I’d say a Derobrachus larva, but I don’t think Ficus is a known host…. Eric “

Letter 46 – Kiawe Borer from Hawaii

 

Subject: What’s this bug
Location: Makaweli Poi, Hawaii
October 24, 2015 11:07 pm
Living in Hawaii.
This bug is seen on our Gliricidia since 15 Oct 2015.
Signature: Kavi

Dear Kavi,
Your name is remarkably similar to the name of your Longhorned Borer Beetles, commonly called the Kiawe Borer.  It is a non-native species that feeds on introduced, cultivated mesquite plant.  Since Gliricidia and Mesquite are in the same family, perhaps the Kiawe Borer has adapted to boring in the wood of the former.

Letter 47 – Longhorned Borer from Ecuador resembles relative from Arizona

 

Subject: Interesting Orange and Black Beetle Found in Ecuaodor and Arizona?
Location: San Clemente Ecuador and also one in Yuma Arizona
March 28, 2013 3:34 pm
Dear Bugman,
I recently sent in a picture of an interesting beetle. In my excitement and haste I didn’t get permission from the photographer. After re-reading the submission page I did send an email to the photographer and got their permission to use the photo to try to identify this odd beetle. I will include the information they have provided about the beetle, and send the information on to them as well because they are very curious about the insect.
My original submission: About 14 years ago I came across this odd beetle. It was Summer time in Yuma Arizona, and we were eating watermelon when this bug flew onto my plate. It was about an inch and a half long. Being 10 it freaked me out and I never did get a picture of it. I never forgot about it though. I tried very hard to identify the bug but never did find out what it was. Today I Googled ”Black and Orange Antennae” and finally found a picture of the bug I saw. So maybe now I can finally put a name to this bug with your help! 🙂
More information on the insect provided by John and Mary from their blog: The bug was found in San Clemente Ecuador. Counting the antennae the beetle was about one and one half inches long. When it was flying around it looked like a large wasp. I tried to get a close up of the head to see the eyes, but it is unclear where the eyes are. There also appears to be some hair-like growth on the face!
Any ideas? Thanks so much for your time and effort.
Signature: Nichole

Hi Nichole,
We really doubt that the beetle you saw in Arizona is the same species as the beetle in the photo from Ecuador, but they might be in the same family.  First, thanks for getting permission from John to reproduce his photo.  John’s beetle is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we might be able to identify it to the species level.  There is a better database online for North American species, and while it is impossible to state with any certainty that we can identify the beetle you saw 14 years ago without photo documentation.  A similar looking beetle that is found in Arizona is Aethecerinus latecinctus which we found on BugGuide.  We will write back if and when we identify the Ecuadorean Longicorn.

Karl provides an identification
Hi Daniel and Nichole:
My initial thought was that the Ecuadorian Cerambycid was probably in the genus Trachyderes, many of which look quite similar. Several Trachyderes species are native to Ecuador but none of them are quite right, particularly with regard to the color patterns of the antennae. I believe John’s is probably Andrachides transandinus (Cerambycinae: Trachyderini). The genus appears to have only the one species and it is endemic to Ecuador and Peru. Its similarity to Trachyderes is evident in that its original name was Trachyderes transandinus. As for the beetle from Arizona, I suggest checking out the closely related and similar T. mandibularis which is well represented on bugguide.net.  Regards.  Karl

Letter 48 – Longicorn from Kenya

 

Long Horned Beetle
Location: Maasai Mara, Kenya
December 21, 2010 6:50 am
Hi WTB,
Just thought I’d share a couple of pictures of a Tithoes confinis long horned beetle (Family Cerambycidae – subfamily prioninae) from Masai Mara in Kenya. It was about 8-9cm long.
Gotta love the macro function on digital cameras.
Signature: Zarek

Dear Zarek,
We do not receive many submissions from Africa, except for South Africa, so we are thrilled with your photos.  Additionally, identification of African species can be especially challenging because the internet does not contain as many insect sites devoted to African species as it does sites devoted to North American, Australian or even Costa Rican species.  Thanks so much for doing the research and identifying your Longicorn as Tithoes confinis, though we still want to support that ID with a link.

Ed. Note: We found this link to the ColeopTerra website that confirms the ID of Tithoes confinis.

Letter 49 – Giant Longhorn from Bolivia

 

Can you identify this big?
I came across this bug while on a mission trip to Bolivia, I cannot for the life of me remember what they called it. Can you please Identify it? I have attached it to this email
Laurne

Hi Lauren,
This is a Giant Longhorn Beetle, Macrodontia cervicornis. We found information on Wikipedia that states: “Macrodontia cervicornis is the largest and best-known member of this genus of long-horned beetles, and this species is sometimes considered the second longest among all beetles, with known specimens exceeding 17 cm in length. A fair bit of this length, however, is due to the enormous jaws, from which it derives both of the names in its binomen; Macrodontia means ‘large tooth’, and cervicornis means ‘deer antler’. For that reason, it is generally excluded from consideration by purists who do not take the jaws, legs , or antennae of a beetle into account when determining length. This species is known from the rain forests of Colombia ,Peru ,Bolivia , the Guianas, and Brazil , but there are an additional seven described species in the genus, extending the overall range of the genus from Guatemala to Argentina .”

Update: (07/24/2007) Macrodontia [the grubs] are a delicacy
Hi Daniel,
Impressive images of that beetle. There’s evidence that these guys were once meals in the Amazonian rain forest; a desirable serving not only of protein and vitamins but of pleasing and energy-giving fats. While that still might be true, I have a feeling that these days someone finding a grub in the jungle would be likelier to raise it to adulthood and sell it as a specimen than eat it. Which is kind of sad, really. Best,
Dave
www.slshrimp.com

Letter 50 – Unknown Borer Beetle is Calloides nobilis var. mormonus

 

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

Letter 51 – Longhorned Borer Beetle

 

Beetle?
Hi there.
I love your site, and I love beetles. I live in southeastern Utah, and I found this guy on some rabbit brush the other day. He was about 3/4 inch long (not incl. antenae), and more red than he looks in the photo. Is he some sort of fancy borer? He’s beautiful, and I am very disappointed that he had a broken antenna. Thanks for the help!
Katie

Hi Katie,
This is one of the Longhorn Borer Beetles, but it does not have a common name. It is Crossidius coralinus and there are some wonderful photos posted to BugGuide, including ones from Utah.

Letter 52 – Red Headed Ash Borer

 

black and yellow wings
Sat, Dec 13, 2008 at 6:43 PM
black and yellow wings, six legs, reddish head. found several recently in our house, they have wings but does not fly very well. we think they are coming from some unburnt wood in our fireplace. starting noticing them mid december in the houston texas area.
natalie
houston texas

Hi Natalie,
Your suspicions about the unburnt wood are probably correct. Your photos are quite blurry, but we are relatively certain that this is a Red Headed Ash Borer, Neoclytus acuminatus. The larvae feed on the sapwood of ash and other hardwoods and were probably in the wood when it was brought into the house.

Letter 53 – Harlequin Beetle

 

Biggest Bug I’ve EVER seen….
September 26, 2009
Seen in San Pancho, Nayarit, Mexico on 9/18/09 This monster FLEW onto a wall, crawled down and was attacked by a toad. The beetle clamped on to the toad’s head and the toad hopped around like crazy for a few seconds and released the bug. Markings on the back of the beetle were orange and brown. The bricks that the beetle was resting on were 4″x11″ so you can see how large this bug is. Can’t find it on any website…any idea what it is?
Joslin
Nayarit, Mexico

Hi Joslin,
We post images of the Giant Harlequin Beetle, Acrocinus longimanus, whenever we have an opportunity.  This tropical species ranges from Mexico south into Brazil.  We wish the photo you sent with the toad had better resolution as we really can’t see much.

Letter 54 – Longhorn: Neoclytus scutellaris

 

Subject: Ash borer?
Location: Cook County, IL
July 20, 2014 8:34 am
Hi bugmen and bugwomen,
I took this photo of an insect sunning itself on the side of my house. I searched your files and online.
the closest I could narrow the ID was to the BANDED ASH BORER beetle, but all the photos I found lacked yellow stripes across the thorax. Otherwise, it seems to be a close match.
is this a banded ash borer, or perhaps a relative?
We have been losing trees in the Chicagoland (IL) area at an alarming pace. (mostly elms and ash), and work crews were in my neighborhood felling diseased trees last week.
My guess is this bug is in the process or relocating to new food source.
Many thanks for all you do.
Signature: Jill A

Dear Jill,
You are quite astute to observe the similarities between your insect and the Banded Ash Borer, Neoclytus caprea, since they are in the same genus.  According to BugGuide, there are 25 members in the genus Neoclytus in North America, and many look quite similar, probably requiring the actual examination of the specimen by an expert in the family Cerambycidae to determine the actual identity.  Based on the striping pattern on the thorax and head, we believe your individual is Neoclytus scutellaris, based on its similarity to this individual posted to BugGuide.  The species has no common name, and according to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed in sapwood of (dead?) oaks, hickories, also grape.”  It is also worth noting that adults do not feed on wood, and they are most commonly found taking nectar from flowers, sap, fruit and other sweet substances.

Thank you for your response and reassurance! (I’m so glad this bug didn’t go on to feast on my elm tree). We have lots of native berry trees in our yard, and the bug was near our cherry tree when the photo was taken. Your description of it’s feeding habits makes sense.
Thanks, Jill

Letter 55 – Flatfaced Longhorn Beetle is Huisache Girdler

 

Subject: What is this thing??
Location: south texas
October 23, 2014 2:26 pm
I only see these at night and there are tons of them!! They look evil!
Signature: Hannah Gohlke

Dear Hannah,
This is one of the Flatfaced Longhorn Beetles in the subfamily Lamiinae, and we will try to determine the species for you.  We will check with Eric Eaton to see if he recognizes you beetle.

Eric Eaton Responds
Hi, Daniel:
Yes, I believe it is the Huisache Girdler:
Species Oncideres pustulata – Huisache Girdler – BugGuide.Net

Ed. NOte:  According to BugGuide:  “Primary hosts:  Leucaena lveruienta – Tepeguaje;  Acacia farnesiana – Huisache;  Albizia julibrissin – Mimosa;  Will also girdle mesquite, retama, ebony and citrus.

Letter 56 – Longicorn from South Africa: Litopus latipes

 

Subject: Bumelia Borer?
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
November 15, 2014 12:06 am
Hi there,
I found this bug on our tree in the backyard. It seems to be a bumelia borer, however it has orange-black banded antennae. I could not find another picture like this on the Internet. Is it the same bug?
Signature: Rachel

Dear Rachel,
This Longicorn really does resemble the Bumelia Borer.  We first found a matching image on FlickR that was identified as Litopus latipes, and we verified that identification on Biolib and iSpot.

Letter 57 – Acacia Longhorn from Australia

 

Subject: Arcacia Longicorn Beetle ?
Location: Whyalla ,South Australia
January 27, 2016 4:38 pm
Hi there, just thought you might like to see this bug I found. from what i can find its a arcacia longicorn beetle. Is this correct. I am currently living as care taker on a block of land on the edge of Whyalla South Australia. It is a prime reserve of thick Mallee scrub. We always get a huge variety of unusual animals and insects.
Signature: Darren Carn

Dear Darren,
We had a slow day today with not many submissions, so we went back a few weeks to some unanswered requests, and we are thrilled to find your Acacia Longhorn, Penthea solida, submission.  We only have one image of this species in our archives and your image is of a much better quality.  There is a very nice image of the Acacia Longhorn posted on Cerambycoidea.com.  There is not much information on this beautiful beetle online but there are some images on FlickRiver.

Letter 58 – Acacia Longicorn from Australia

 

Black & white spotted poka dot cockroach
Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 9:31 PM
Hi there I was just wondering what this bug is I was working in the Pilbara, In Western Australia it is about the size of a cockroach.
Felicity Packer
Tom Price Western Australia

Hi Felicity,
This is not a cockroach, but a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  Your photo is extremely blurry, but we believe, based on the markings, that this may be an Acacia Longicorn, Penthea vermicularia which we located on the Geocities website of Brisbane Insects.

Letter 59 – African Longhorned Borer is Tithoes confinis

 

B52 Bomber?
Sat, Nov 29, 2008 at 2:08 AM
B52 Bomber?
This 10cm long bug flew in on us one night. Very slow and noisy in flight. It seemd to be having trouble staying aloft & its sense of direction was not too good either. I am emailing from Harare in Zimbabwe & we are at the beginning of summer at the moment.
Jenny Harrison
Zimbabwe

Hi Jenny,
While we cannot tell you what species this enormous beetle is, we can tell you that it is one of the Longhorned Borer Beetles in the family Cerambycidae. The larvae of the Longhorned Borer Beetles bore into the wood of trees. The formidable jaws on the beetle enable the newly metamorphosed adult to chew its way out of the tree where the larva has been feeding.

Friends:
WhatsThatBug.com has another interesting post (scroll down the home page) of a lovely, mottled prionid cerambycid from Africa that we’re curious about. In the course of my own cursory research, I stumbled upon some wonderful eye candy at:http://www.beetlesofafrica.com
that you might also find interesting. Thank you in advance for any help with the ID.
Eric R. Eaton

Update December 5, 2008
Daniel:
Mike Thomas says he communicated the genus name to you, but this person provides a species name and more information:-) Keep up the great work.
Eric
Eric’s / Jenny Harrison’s large ‘bycid carries the name Tithoes confinis (Laporte de Castelnau, 1840). It is likely a female, and not as large and fearsome as individuals of this species often are. The species is widespread through most of the continental Afrotropics and in the right habitat they are bound to come to light on a good light-trapping night; they come in around 1-3 hours after sunset. Its pedigree is Cerambycidae: Prioninae: Acanthophorini.
Best fishes,
RiaaN

Hello, Eric – I took the liberty of showing your image to a friend of mine who
is an avid cerambycid enthusiast, and he had the following to say:
“Acanthophorus (Tithoes) maculatus (Fab.)  especially if the third antennal
segment has a sulcus on it.”
Hope this helps,
Ed Saugstad
Sinks Grove, WV

Letter 60 – Amorpha Borer

 

Colorful Beetle
September 8, 2009
Can you identify this colorful beetle? I found it on goldenrod, along with goldenrod soldier beetles.
Doug
near Omaha NE

Hi Doug,
This is an Amorpha Borer, Megacyllene decora, which we identified on BugGuide.  It is in the same genus as the Locust Borer and Hickory Borer, both of which are well represented on our site, but if memory serves us correctly, this is the first submission we have received of the Amorpha Borer.  It is a beautiful beetle.

Letter 61 – Amorpha Borer

 

Subject: Never seen this wasp before?
Location: Tuscaloosa, alabama
July 29, 2017 5:04 pm
Saw this on a basil plant in a garden in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I’ve seen a lot of species of wasps around here, but never this one. Any ideas? Thanks for your time!
Signature: Dave

Dear Dave,
This is not a wasp.  Rather, it is a beetle that derives protection because it mimics stinging wasps.  Based on this BugGuide image, we are confident that this is an Amorpha Borer, Megacyllene decora, and according to BugGuide:  “Extremely variable.”  This is only the second posting of this species to our site, so we are thrilled to be able to add your image to our archives.

Letter 62 – Another Bachelor Party of Long Horned Bees

 

sleeping bees, second attempt
Hi – We love your site, and have gotten lots of good information and identifications from it before. Thank you so much. I’m sending this again, because my embedded photo didn’t show up in my email for some reason. Thanks! Here’s the current question – we live in east of the San Francisco Bay area of California (but not as far east as the Central Valley). At a wildflower garden that I maintain at a school site, we’ve noticed bees congregating on the poppy seed heads about sundown. By dusk, there are several bees per stem, all faced head-down. They are non-aggressive – just seem to jockey for position. I think they are some sort of mason bee, but this behavior has me puzzled….any ideas? Can you confirm the identification in these pictures? thanks so much – keep up the good work!!
gardenchien”….
I’ll try to embed the photo, and a link to try to make sure it all goes through….

Hi gardenchien,
Your original letter was on the back burner from yesterday while we attempted to locate an image of an amazing fly we wanted to post from the day before. These are male Long-Horned Bees in the tribe Eucerini. We have posted several images in the past of this group roosting behavior known as Bachelor Parties. According to a posting on BugGuide, Doug Yanega indicates that the parties may contain multiple species. At any rate, exact species identification is way beyond our means.

Letter 63 – Agrianome spinicollis NOT Australian Banksia Longicorn

 

What Beetle is this?
From Kiama Australia, Caught this beetle last night, any ideas
Regards Richard

Hi Richard,
We have an idea, but only in a very general sense. It appears to be a Root Borer in the Family Cerambycidae, similar to the North American Prionus or Derobrachus.

Update (02/04/2006)
Australian Root Borer
Dear friends, The photo of the beetle sent in by Richard of Kiama looks remarkably like a picture in a book I have of a Banksia Longicorn: Paroplites australis (family Cerambycidae). The text says they are “slender reddish-brown beetles about 5 cm long with antennae of similar length. The larvae are large, fleshy, yellowish legless grubs, broades at the head end. ” The larvae bore tunnels in Banskia trees and pack it with the debris from their chewing. Regards,
Grev

Thanks for your update and after checking a few photos on the web, yes you are correct, this is exactly what it is. Thanks for the effort. Found this link http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_s/b_3121.htm
Best wishes from OZ
Richard

Correction:  November 18, 2016
Upon researching this new posting, we realized this is NOT a Banksia Longicorn, but Agrianome spinicollis based on this Prioninae of the World image and other online images.

Letter 64 – Bachelor Party of Sweat Bees in Australia

 

Subject: Possibly a wasp?
Location: Melbourne Victoria Australia
January 25, 2014 12:57 am
Hi there,
Saw this on my bush in my garden, at first i thought it was a group of seeds, until i looked closer, just wondering what they were, and if they were anything to worry about.
Location: Australia, Melhourne, Eastern Suburbs
Season: Second Month Summer
Sorry if the photos are not great, very bright day so was hard to get one that wasnt overexposed a little
Signature: Curious

Dear Curious,
This is a Bachelor Party of male Longhorned Bees in the tribe Eucerni, but we are not certain of the species.  Male Bees do not sting, so they pose no threat to you.  You can see similar images of Bachelor Parties from North America in our archives.

Update:  February 5, 2014
We got a comment that these might be male Green and Gold Nomia Bees, Lipotriches australica, a type of Sweat Bee that also exhibits this Bachelor Party behavior in Australia.

Letter 65 – Bachelor Party of Long Horned Bees

 

More clumps of mining bees
Hello folks!
Enjoy the website and it’s addicitive to say the least! Discovered these little critters clinging to our lavender, here in Eagle Rock, a northern suburb of Los Angeles right next to Pasadena. Someone else was asking why these — apparently mining bees, from what you told the other photographer from July 29, 2007– male bees were doing this. All I know, is that for that last month or so, (that would be mid-May to mid-June) these fellows flitter about the lavender during the day and then, when it cools down, they all gather back to this SAME STALK and huddle together for the night. Sometimes, the stalk is completely covered with them! They are there in the mornings when I go get the newspaper! Not sure what the behavior means, but I am glad to see them everyday! Best,
Brenda Rees
Eagle Rock CA

Hi Brenda,
We actually believe these are Long Horned Bees in the tribe Eucerini. There is a photo from Arizona posted to BugGuide, and the photographer says 100s of bees congregated on dried weeds at sunset. We have gotten reports of this nightime aggregating behavior in solitary Hymenopterans, both bees and wasps. We have seen them called Bachelor Parties since they are only males. We will contact Eric Eaton for verification that these are Long Horned Bees and see if he can provide a genus. Meanwhile, perhaps we will meet at Eagle Rock Italian Bakery some day. We love the semolina bread they only bake on Friday. We can also be spotted at the Blue Hen and the Coffee Table on occasion since we live nearby in Mt Washington. Thanks for the nice letter and wonderful image neighbor.

Letter 66 – Misidentified Longicorn

 

 

Balsam Fir Sawyer
Location:  St. Louis County near Cromwell, Minnesota
August 19, 2010 8:44 pm
Hello! I’ve found what I believe to be a Balsam Fir Sawyer on our wooded land in St. Louis County in northern Minnesota. I haven’t been able to find much information about this insect and wonder if you could tell me bout it.
Thank you very much for any help you can provide.
Lynne Schoenborn

Hi Lynne,
We looked up the Balsam Fir Sawyer, Monochamus marmorator, on BugGuide and we found this cited information: “Larvae of the balsam fir sawyer, Monochamus marmorator Kby. (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), contain midgut digestive enzymes active against hemicellulose and cellulose. Cellulases from larvae fed on balsam fir wood infected with the fungus, Trichoderma harzianum Rifai (Deuteromycetes, Moniliales, Moniliaceae), were found to be identical to those of the cellulase complex produced by this fungus when compared using chromatography, electrophoresis, and isofocusing. When larvae are maintained on a fungusfree diet, their midgut fluids lack cellulolytic activity, and they are unable to digest cellulose. Cellulolytic capacity can be restored by feeding the larvae wood permeated by fungi. We conclude that the enzymes which enable M. marmorator larvae to digest cellulose are not produced by the larvae. Instead, the larvae acquire the capacity to digest cellulose by ingesting active fungal cellulases while feeding in fungus-infected wood.”  reference: http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=7058239 We would love to know why it is on Invasive.org because there is no information regarding its native region.  Maybe mardikavana knows something about the Balsam Fir Sawyer.

More Questions
August 26, 2010
Thank you very much for the information.  Does this quoted article mean that the larvae only feed on decaying wood infected with fungus?  Are eggs laid in healthy trees or only dead and decaying wood?  Will they damage healthy trees?
Lynne

Hi Lynne,
Sadly we are unable to answer your questions as we are not scientists.  We have found what information we were able to uncover on the internet.  We would suggest that you provide a comment on our posting of your letter so you will be notified in the future if any experts can supply additional information.

Update:  September 16, 2021
After identifying a Balsam Fir Sawyer, we realized this Longicorn is misidentified and we need to search for its identity.

Letter 67 – Banded Laurel Borer

 

Black and light blue striped-antaennaed flying beetle-looking bugger
July 14, 2009
It can be said we already attract an odd assortment of characters, but this week a friendly beetle-looking bug befriended *us*. My roommates and I live in Anaheim, CA (about 20 min. south of Los Angeles), and the bug seems to have taken to our little corner, hanging out in our trees, rose bushes, and carport for several days now. The belly is a light baby blue, the back is predominantly black, and the antennae is striped with the two colors. Any ideas? Thanks!
Friends of the friendly bug
Southern California

Dear Friends,
This beautiful beetle is known as a Banded Laurel Borer and it is found throughout western North America.

Thank you!  Keep up the good work on your fun website, and good luck with the book!

Letter 68 – Banksia Longicorn

 

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

 

Letter 69 – Longhorn Borer Beetle, we believe

 

Help indentifying bug
Location: Virginia Beach, VA in the sand
June 30, 2011 12:31 pm
Hi, found the attached bug in at the beach on Virginia Beach, VA.
The bug had wings but could not fly due to the wind.
I took him to a bush on the boardwalk and wanted to know if he would survive there.
He also had trouble walking through the hairs of my arm.
Many thanks,
Signature: Viko

Hi Viko,
We seem to recall encountering this beetle on BugGuide when trying to research something else, but we can’t recall where to start looking.  We didn’t think it could be a Cerambycid, but it sure looks like Psyrassa pertenuis which we located on BugGuide and furthermore, you are in the range according to the data page on bugGuide.

 

Letter 70 – Blue Bycid from Nevada

 

Subject:  Metallic Blue Beetle
Geographic location of the bug:  My. Charleston, NV
Date: 02/01/2019
Time: 09:04 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Inerested in in identifying this beautiful beetle.
How you want your letter signed:  Steve M.

Dear Steve,
This is a gorgeous beetle in the family Cerambycidae, the Long-Horned Borer Beetles or Bycids.  We have it narrowed down to two genera.  Our first choice is the Blackhorned Pine Borer, Callidium antennatum, which is pictured on BugGuide, or possibly Semanotus amethystinus, a species with no common name and also pictured on BugGuide.  We are contacting Doug Yanega at UC Riverside for assistance.

Doug Yanega responds.
Hi. I can confirm that it’s a female Callidium, but can’t be sure of species.
Peace,
Doug Yanega
Dept. of Entomology
Entomology Research Museum Univ. of California, Riverside

Letter 71 – Blue Rosalia from France

 

Your Help Please
We have recently moved to the Charente region of France and are fascinated by the insect life much of which we have not seen before. Grateful if you could identify the attached and provide any information you may have about it. Many thanks and best regards.
David Williams

Hi Dave,
The Blue Rosalia, Rosalia alpina, is a gorgeous European beetle that has been featured on numerous stamps. Congratulations on your sighting.

Letter 72 – Blue Rosalia

 

Please tell me what this is
Hello there,
I spotted this chap on a fern at about 800m in the Tyrolean Alps in Austria. Is it a type of musk beetle?
John

Hi John,
This gorgeous beetle is a Blue Rosalia, Rosalia alpina. Its likeness has been pictured on stamps from several European countries.

Letter 73 – Blue Rosalia from France

 

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

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.

Letter 74 – Borer

 

Subject:  Strange bug
Geographic location of the bug:  New Jersey, USA
Date: 08/18/2018
Time: 09:54 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Just something ive never seen before
How you want your letter signed:  Brian

Dear Brian,
This striking Locust Borer is an excellent Yellowjacket mimic.  According to BugGuide:  “Considered a serious pest of Black Locust; previously weakened or damaged trees are often killed by the larvae. Previously confined to the native range of Black Locust in the northeast, it has spread with the trees throughout the US and parts of Canada. Black Locust is used for reclamation and similar projects where trees are likely to be stressed and thus more vulnerable to damage.”  Adult Locust Borers are often found feeding on Goldenrod.

Letter 75 – Borer Beetle

 

I need to know the name of this beetle ASAP
September 3, 2009
Hi bugman, my name is Adam, I found this bug while doing bio-inventories, and have to submit my findings on september 8th and this is the one I can’t Id. it was about 3 cm long X 1 cm wide. found near a wetland on a beaver chewed tree stump. taken 24 Aug, 2009, mid-day
How you want your letter signed    Name and title
Geographic Location of Bug    UTM 17T271051 5135443

Dear Adam,
The location you indicated for this sighting, UTM 17T271051 5135443 did not produce any matches in our web search.  For all purposes, you did not provide us with a location that we can use to assist you.  The desperation in the tone of your letter would indicate that this is important, yet you failed to assist us.  The best we are able to do with limited information is to say this specimen somewhat resembles the Banded Ash Borer, Neoclytus caprea, which can be viewed on BugGuide.  If the species is not correct, we are guessing it is a relative in the same genus Neoclytus, or at least in the tribe Clytini.  These clues should enable you to conclusively identify this specimen based on information you have that you have not provided for us.

Hey, Daniel.
I thought it was an interesting challenge, so I figured out how to convert UTM to GPS coordinates. Here is the location of the mysterious beetle! Daniel To view your map, click on this link or cut and paste this link into your browser’s location bar. http://atlas.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?email=1&mapd MapQuest.com is the Web’s leading provider of free Maps and Driving Directions. Visit us today at www.mapquest.com.
Daniel

Update from Eric Eaton
September 6, 2009
Daniel:
I agree with all three of your identifications.  Nice work.  Neoclytus longhorned beetles are also a bear to ID to species.
Eric

Hi bugman, This beetle was found approximately 500 meters south of highway 17 E, in Desbarats, Ontario, Canada. I hope that this will help determine the species. if you need more information, please contact me.
Adam

Letter 76 – Borer Beetle: genus Neoclytus

 

Apple tree lovers
I had to cut down my apple tree. It was hit with some disease from my neighbor’s fruit tree and died. When I went to cut it down, I found several of these bugs crawling up and down the trunk and on the branches. They were about a 1⁄2 inch long. At first I thought they might be some sort of immature wasp since my yard seems overrun this year with paper wasps, but after looking carefully at the photos I took, it doesn’t seem likely. I’ve asked several friends who are pretty good at bug ID but no one has seen these before and no one has a name for me. Can you help? I’d like to know if they might have helped cause the tree’s death or if are they something that might endanger other plants or people. Thanks for your help. This web site rocks!
Peggy L . Johnson

Hi Peggy,
This is a Borer Beetle in the genus Neoclytus. This might be the Red Headed Ash Borer,Neoclytus acuminatus, but BugGuide, on the page for Neoclytus mucronatus, states there are 26 species in the genus north of Mexico, and many look remarkably alike.

Letter 77 – Braconid Wasp: Atanycoius longicauda

 

Subject: assassin? wasp?
Location: Bethesda, MD
July 13, 2017 7:22 am
Found this on my potted hosta in Bethesda Maryland, July 2017.
I took the photos myself.
I’m downloading a couple of images, but the edited images at this link to my blog are much better:
http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=55558
Signature: Margaret Soltan

Dear Margaret,
This beautiful creature is a parasitoid Braconid Wasp, and we believe it is Atanycoius longicauda based on this BugGuide image.  BugGuide states of the genus:  “Parasites of woodboring beetle larvae, especially metallic wood-boring beetles (Buprestidae) and longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae).”

Daniel:  Thank you!  I appreciate the identification (I’ve spent fruitless hours looking at images), and I really appreciate the quick reply.   And I’m glad you agree it’s beautiful.
All best, Margaret

Letter 78 – Bunch of Grapes found in Pumpkin Patch and Flower Longhorn too.

 

Subject: Bug in pumpkin patch
Location: connecticut
July 6, 2012 12:14 pm
I saw this in my pumpkin patch. Can you tell me what it is ???
Thank you.
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=182711
Signature: as you like

Dear as you like,
The photo you attached is a bunch of grapes.

Ed. Note:  We checked out the link and found an image of an insect.
The insect on the website is a Flower Longhorn, possibly the Banded Longhorn, Typocerus velutinus, based on photos posted to BugGuide.  Adults eat nectar and pollen, so they are likely beneficial in that they will help to pollinate the pumpkins.  Larvae feed on decaying hardwood such as oak.

Letter 79 – Bycid from Costa Rica: Taeniotes scalatus

 

Subject: Costa Rica bug
Location: Northern Costa Rica
October 24, 2013 9:27 am
Howdy,
Attached are two photos of this bug, who wants to move in with us. We’re near Lake Arenal in northern Costa Rica. The bug is about generally 30-40mm in length, with long antennae. We first saw one in mid September. Now they’re all over the place. They are very adept at getting in our house, and very determined to do so. We escort one outside, and in no time there’s another. We saw the first one on our patio floor, but they usually are on the wall or ceiling. Thanks!
Signature: Ray Granade

Hi Ray,
My what impressive antennae this Bycid or Longicorn has.  Earlier this year, we posted another photo of Taeniotes scalatus, also from Costa Rica. 

Letter 80 – Cabbage Palm Longhorn

 

Subject: beetle of some sort?
Location: Wrightsville Beach, NC
June 20, 2012 12:59 pm
I live on the coast in North Carolina and found this bug crawling on our deck. I haven’t been able to ID it. Can you help? Thanks!
Signature: joneswb

Dear joneswb,
After a bit of searching, we identified your beetle as a Cabbage Palm Longhorn or Palmetto Longhorn, Osmopleura chamaeropis.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on Cabbage Palmettos (Sabal palmetto) in Florida” and its range is “Florida and Georgia and recently, one specimen from Texas.”  Perhaps your North Carolina sighting is a range expansion due to global warming or the cultivation of palmettos in North Carolina, or perhaps a specimen was accidentally transported in baggage or with goods.

Letter 81 – Cabbage Palm Longhorn

 

Subject:  A beetle?
Geographic location of the bug:  Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Date: 06/22/2019
Time: 07:51 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hello! I found this lil beauty when I was out with family…I couldn’t get many photos.. I am unsure what it is? But I do believe it’s a beetle of some sort!
How you want your letter signed:  Lily, P

Dear Lily, P,
This is a Cabbage Palm Longhorn, Osmopleura chamaeropis, and we identified it on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on Cabbage Palmettos (Sabal palmetto) in Florida” and “This species is rarely collected but can be locally abundant (Turnbow & Hovore 1979).”

Letter 82 – Cactus Longhorn

 

Unknown beetle
Hi.
Stuart from Tucson again. This time I have an unidentified beetle hanging out on an ocotillo in the back yard. Looks like it could be a species of long horn beetle but I am not sure. The speciman was approximately 1 – 1 1/4 inches from head to toe (not including the antennas or what ever you call those on a beetle).
Thanks,
Stuart

Hi Stuart,
We have reservations saying this is a Female Prionus, though that is our best guess at the moment. Certain anatomical features seem inconsistant witht he genus. We will check with some real experts to get you an answer. Eric Eaton provided the following identification: ” Ah-ha! Well, you have the right family:-) This longhorn beetle is in the genus Moneilema, the “cactus longhorns.” They are rather large, flightless, and mostly nocturnal, venturing out at night to feed on fleshy cacti, especially Opuntia prickly-pear and cholla. As larvae they mine at the base of the cactus, or in pads that are prostrate on the ground. The adults are thought to mimic Eleodes darkling beetles, even standing on their heads at times as if prepared to spray an attacker (as Eleodes can do). Very interesting beetles, and quite common, even if not often seen. Eric “

Letter 83 – Callipogon barbatus from El Salvador

 

Shiny Longhorn beetle in Central America
Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 12:40 PM
This beetle was found in my garden in El Salvador; he was perched on one of our palm trees during the mid-day. He is a good 3-4 inches long and at least 1 inch wide. The segmented atennae are about 3 inches long, he has six jointed legs and what look to be pinchers in the front. Can you please see whether you can find out what this guy is and whether he would be considered a garden pest? Thanks a lot!
Ashley
El Salvador

Hi Ashley,
Back in November 2007, Eric Eaton identified this tropical longicorn as Callipogon barbatus.  We also received a submission in June of 2007.  Both of those examples were from Mexico though the Coleoptera website says it hails from Panama and Guatemala.

Letter 84 – Cape Longhorn from South Africa

 

Subject: Unknown Insect
Location: South Africa, Cape Town
February 20, 2015 1:13 am
Found this interesting insect in my moms garden in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.
It looks similar to a grasshopper but have no idea what it is. Have never seen this before. Hope you can help identify it.
Signature: JC Hanekom

Dear JC Hanekom,
This looks to us like a Cape Longhorn, Ceroplesis capensis, which is pictured on iSpot, but for some reason, your individual is missing its distinctive long antennae.

Letter 85 – Capricorn Beetle from Belize

 

Subject: large metallic green beetle with orange thorax
Location: Toledo District, Belize
February 9, 2013 4:21 pm
I saw this beetle climbing grass stalks near the coast in southern Belize on 8 February 2013. Its body was about 3” long. The larger format photo would not go through; I hope this one does. Thanks in advance. You’ve got a great site.
Signature: Tanya

Hi Tanya,
Thanks for the compliment.  This is a beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and for the first time we are using the common name Capricorn Beetle for a member.  Commonly used names for the family members include Longhorn, Longicorn, Longhorned Borer and Bycid.  We will try to research its identity in the morning.

Thank you very much, Daniel, for this prompt response.  It certainly was a very cool bug to see; it was at my feet as I walked to hang up laundry on the clothes line.
Tanya

Letter 86 – Cerambycid

 

Hi there
This bug was on the side of the road on the concrete. I didn’t have a ruler but it would have been approximately 25mm long. It has a hard exterior and quite long legs. Could you please help me and tell me what it is? My husband and I just can’t figure it out!
Thanks
Colleen

Hi Colleen,
This is one of the Ceramabycid Long Horned Borer Beetles. We are trying to get an actual species name for you.

Letter 87 – Cerambycid Beetle

 

longhorn beetle?
I found this little guy in the backyard at my parents place in Maple Bay – SE Vancouver Island BC. Any idea what he is? I searched around for images of longhorn beetles but didn’t find any that looked like this one. Maybe I’m wrong thinking this is a longhorn.
Ian Mackenzie,
Victoria BC.

Hi Ian,
Yes, a Cerambycid, but we are unsure of the species. We will post it and see if anyone can identify it and hope Eric Eaton will assist us when he returns. How large was this specimen?

It was ~2.5 cm (+- .5 cm) in length, not including the antenna. It was on the trunk of a bigleaf maple; in April. Thanks for looking into this for me. I have several other images of unidentified insect specimens to send your way but perhaps will try to stagger when i send them so as not to flood you with too many requests. All the best,
Ian

Update from Eric Eaton (06/22/2006)
“The longhorned beetle directly beneath it is, once again, Synaphaeta guexi.”

Letter 88 – Cerambycid Borer Beetle

 

what is it?
These are swarming a new stack of wood beside our house. I’ve never seen them before. Do you know what it is? I forgot to mention, we live in west Michigan
Thanks,
Michelle

Hi Michelle,
This is a Long Horned Borer Beetle possibly in the genus Clytus. BugGuide lists two species in the genus, and Clytus marginicollis seems to be the closer fit. The larvae are the wood boring stage of the insect, and the food is dead wood from hard pines. The adults fly from March to July. Perhaps the adult insects found a rich food source for the larvae and decended upon your wood pile, or possibly the pile included some wood that was already occupied by the larvae which emerged together as adults.

Hey Guys :
Not being picky here … but the cerambycid beetle on 21 April from West Michigan looks closer to Neoclytus caprea, than anything else. A slightly beter photo would seal it. N. caprea emerges in early Spring and is found most commonly depositing its eggs on logs of ash trees, although they will utilize oak, and elm. The individual in the photograph appears to in fact be a female, and she looks like she might just be trying to lay some eggs on that cut wood. Cool !
Ian Swift
Placerita Canyon Nature Center.

Letter 89 – Cerambycid Borer, maybe Spotted Tree Borer

 

Alder bug
Can you tell me what this is? It came out of some furniture my boss bought out in Oregon last fall. We just found 3 holes with sawdust, and one beetle hanging out on the arm of the chair.
Thanks,
Mark

Hi Mark,
We are guessing the subject line “Alder Bug” refers to the type of wood on the furniture. The antennae on your insect look like those of the Banded Alder Borer, Rosalia funebris, but the coloration seems slightly off. It is difficult to be certain because of your camera angle. It is also possible that a newly metamorphosed insect might have coloration not consistant with older specimens. We will ask Eric Eaton for his opinion. Here is Eric’s speedy response: ” I believe the insect in question is possibly Synaphaeta guexi, the Spotted Tree Borer, found from BC to California, curiously recorded from oak, poplar, maple, and willow, but apparently not alder:-) I suspect it is a generalist and probably attacks alder as well. I’m not certain, but that is my best guess. Neat insect.” Several days later Eric wrote back: ” Oh, I just mentioned that Art Evans had confirmed my species ID of the longhorned beetle from the Pacific Northwest. It’s all good. Eric “

Letter 90 – Cerambycid found in Mt. Washington, L.A.

 

While working in the yard today, we spotted this gorgeous Cerambycid Beetle resting in the eaves of the garage, probably after being attracted to the light last night. We think this [male?] beetle resembles a female Megasemum asperum posted on BugGuide, but we are not certain they are the same species. We hope either Eric Eaton or Julian Donahue can assist with this identification. After taking these photos, we released him in the bushes. He made a squeeking sound when handled.

Letter 91 – Cerambycid from Japan: Benikamikiri

 

Red Mystery Beetle (Japan)
Hi,
I live in western Japan and recently found a red beetle on my car. I have asked several people around here and nobody knows what it is called. I have also been through your archives and could not find a match. I have attached a photo of the beetle in question. Could you please help me with an identification?
Thank you,
Justin Yoshida

Hi Justin,
We believe this beauty is one of the Cerambycid Longhorns, though we are not positive, and we have no idea of the species. The list of specimens that could use Eric Eaton’s assistance is growing and we are not sure when he will return from collecting in West Virginia. How large was this beetle?

Hi, thanks for the quick reply. The beetle was approximately one inch in length. I will continue to try and find additional information here in Japan, and will update you if anything comes to light, Thanks again,
Justin

Update: (06/18/2006)
Mystery solved! (I’m pretty sure , anyway) The longhorn beetle I contacted you about yesterday is commonly known in Japan as a “benikamikiri.” Latin name: Purpuricenus (Sternoplistes) temminckii. Sources: http://www2.gol.com/users/nanacorp/ZUKAN/beni.htm
http://naturaljapan.net/?pp_album=1&pp_image=benikamikiri01.jpg
Thanks for your help!
Justin

Hi again Justin,
Nice job of research. It looks like you have a positive identification.

Letter 92 – Clodius Parnassian with Beetle

 

Subject: unknown insect attacking butterfly
Location: Forest Road 22 at Brice Creek east of Cottage Grove, Oregon
September 22, 2016 3:39 pm
Taking pictures of a Clodius Parnassian butterfly when I saw some winged insect attempting to land on the butterfly’s abdomen. I shooed it away from the butterfly. Later when I was checking my photos I found that I had actually snapped it while it was just about to land on the butterfly. The closest I could come to a partial ID is some kind of carpenter ant. Just don’t know if the size is a match and it is actually something else.
Signature: G Price

Dear G Price,
This is some species of Beetle, probably a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  Unfortunately, there is not enough detail for us to determine a species.  We do not think it is attaching this lovely Clodius Parnassian, but rather, more of an accidental encounter.  We have so few examples of Parnassian Butterflies on our site.

Thanks for the tip.  Maybe next year I’ll be able to get a better
capture of it when I’m in the area again.   Feel free to add the
Parnassian to your group if you’d like.

Letter 93 – Derobrachus

 

what kind of beetle is this?
Hi,
found this beetle this morning in the back yard, I think it is a longhorn beetle of somekind. Could you please tell me what this is. Thanks
Steffanie

Hi Stephanie
This is one of the Longhorns, probably the genus Derobrachus.

Letter 94 – Derobrachus Longhorn

 

Good Afternoon!
I just found your website and it is amazing! I think I will be using it frequently as I have just moved to Arizona and there seems to be quite a variety of bugs out here that I have never seen. My sons found this guy outside our door today. He is about 7.5cm long and has a shiny black body. Do you know what he is? Thanks,
Leslie Howe

Hi Leslie,
This is one of the Long-Horned Beetles in the genus Derobrachus. They are relatively common in Arizona.

Letter 95 – Dimorphic Flower Longhorn:

 

Subject: orange and black bug
Location: Sierra foothills at 2000′ in Weimar, CA.
May 25, 2014 1:34 pm
I found this on a faded arilbred iris. Sorry the picture is blurry. I am in the Sierra foothills at 2000′ in Weimar, CA. I’d guess it’s about 2/3 inch long.
Signature: Carolyn

Dear Carolyn,
Your image is indeed quite blurry, which makes us sad because we believe we have correctly identified your female Dimorphic Flower Longhorn, Anastrangalia laetifica, on BugGuide, and it represents a new species on our site.  Even though your image is blurry, the distinctive markings leave little doubt as to its identity.  The term Dimorphic in the name refers to the obvious visual differences between the sexes, which makes them appear to be different species.  Females are colored similarly to your individual, while males are black or brown.

Thank you very much! I tried finding it myself using the BugGuide, but could not even get there from Insecta.  Is there a way to browse the categories that would more easily lead me to the right page.  I completely agree that this BugGuide pictures of this species clearly identify my bug.  I could not find information anywhere on what they eat – apparently plants, but nectar?  Petals, leaves?  Do you know?  (My search, however, led me to much fascinating information, for example, about butterfly color production by forming gyroids.)
Thank you again, and thanks in advance if you find any info about their feeding.
Carolyn Spier

Hi Carolyn,
We have no advice on how to best browse BugGuide as one needs a basic understanding of insect orders before being able to search successfully.  The same is true of our site, however, our search engine works quite well if you type in descriptive words, however, as we stated earlier, since this is a new species for our site, you would never have found your species identification on our site.  We think of Flower Longhorns as being nectar feeders, however, BugGuide has this to say on the family Cerambycidae information page:  “Many adults (esp. the brightly colored ones) feed on flowers.  Adult feeding requirements are variable, with some species taking nourishment from sap, leaves, blossoms, fruit, bark, and fungi, often not associated with larval hosts; others take little or no nourishment beyond water.”

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer me, twice!  I prefer to believe that this brightly colored female is the nectar sucking type – until proven otherwise.  I wonder what the larvae eat, though.
Carolyn

Hi again Carolyn,
The original BugGuide link we provided for you was to a photo and it does include food information.  According to BugGuide Larvae are borers in “Pinaceae” which is the family that includes pine as well as cedar, fir, hemlock, larch and spruce, though the Dimorphic Flower Longhorn might only use one genus as the host.  This information is provided under life cycle:  “According to Dennis Haines (pers. communication, HW) floral hosts of adults include Calochortus (Liliaceae); Ceanothus (Rhamnaceae); Achillea, Heracleum (Apiadaceae); Eriodictyon (Hydrophyllaceae).” 

Hi Daniel,
I went again to that original link you sent.  Now I see the tabs for the other info.  Thanks!  It fits that I live on serpentine in pine/oak woodland.
Carolyn

Letter 96 – Double-Banded Bycid

 

Unknown Beetle
Hi Bug Guy,
Love your site! I look up everything I’m not sure of and find wonderfully interesting bugs in my searches! Thank you for this great website. Here is a beetle I came across recently on my walk in the desert in Cochise County, Oct 01 2007. I was unable to find an exact match at whatsthatbug and hope you can help me with the ID. Thanks again,
Carol Breton
Cochise County, Arizona

Hi Carol,
The reason you were unable to identify your Double-Banded Bycid, Sphaenothecus bivittatus, on our site is because until now, it was not represented. We matched your image to a photo on BugGuide, and that specimen was also in Arizona. We will check with Eric Eaton to ensure that our identification is correct.

Letter 97 – Double Banded Bycid

 

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.

Letter 98 – Double Crested Longicorn from Brazil

 

Subject:  Beetle Attached Photo
Location:  Serra dos Órgãos National Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Date:  September 21, 2017
Hi there
Can you please advise what species is this ?
It was seen in the Serra dos Órgãos national park in Rio de Janeiro state Brazil.
I was fascinated by the way the antennae were laid across the back and was unable to find anyone that could identify it.
Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Séamus O’Malley

Dear Séamus,
This is an unusual double crested Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we eventually located it on Insetologia where it is identified as Hypselomus cristatus.  Additional images can be found on Cerambycidae of the World.  According to Oncid ID:  “The combination of the following characters will help to distinguish this genus: large eyes; narrowly separated antennal tubercles, contiguous at base; bowed scape, gradually expanded to apex; and base of elytra with two longitudinal, arcuate, strongly elevated crests, each crest studded with several round, shiny tubercles.”

Letter 99 – Dusky Longhorn from France

 

Subject:  Long horn beetle?
Geographic location of the bug:  Southern France
Date: 07/16/2018
Time: 02:51 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  A friend sent me this photo.  I’m a geologist, not an entymologist, but some of my friends think I can ID most anything!  It does have quite diagnostic characteristics.
How you want your letter signed:  Terry Dyroff

Dear Terry,
We have identified the Longhorn Morimus funereus in the past, and we learned that it is listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species site.  It is called the Dusky Longhorn on Alamy.

Thanks David.  Another entymologist thought it was probably Herophila tristis, but in reading thru the descriptions and seeing more photos, Morimus funereus is surely it.
Terry Dyroff
(Professor Emeritus, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD)

Letter 100 – Eucalytus Borer in South Africa

 

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

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.

Letter 101 – Feather-Horned Longicorn from Australia

 

Subject: Never seen before bug
Location: Frankston, Melbourne, Australia
January 8, 2017 6:27 am
Hi took this pic yesterday of strange looking bug
Signature: Vanessa

Dear Vanessa,
We have several images in our archive of the Feather-Horned Longicorn, Piesarthrius marginellus, from Australia

Letter 102 – Feather Horned Longicorn from Australia

 

Subject: What is this insect
Location: Nsw
February 18, 2017 7:28 pm
Hi just wondering what this is
Signature: Bug identification

Based on images posted to Project Noah and to the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery, we are quite confident this is a Feather Horned Longicorn, Piesarthrius marginellus.

Letter 103 – Feather Horned Longicorn from Australia

 

Green Beetle with “eye brow” like antennae
Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 11:34 PM
While typing a research paper “Do big buttresses break with passing wind” in the Australian jungle within the Atherton Table lands, this “Groucho Marx” bug flew onto my keyboard and despite much prodding wouldn’t leave me alone. Could you give me a less affectionate name to call it?
Lonely Dinosaur
Atherton Table lands, NE Australia

Dear Lonely Dinosaur,
This is the second submission of this spectacular beetle we have received since Christmas. This is a Feather Horned Longicorn Beetle, Piesarthrius marginellus, indeed a longhorned beetle native to Australia. You can find photos online on the Up Close and Spineless website as well as at http://www.cerambycoidea.com/foto.asp?Id=830.

 

 

Letter 104 – Feather Horned Longicorn from Australia

 

Loved this Longicorn
March 17, 2010
Hey there, I can’t find a picture of this longicorn anywhere to ID it. I fell in love with him.
Colour is drab, but cute factor is enormous (see pic 2)
Body 17mm, antennae 25mm. (one appears to be broken short)
Lived in my flat for a week. After looking up a similar bug to find what habitat he would like I realised how obvious it was – his markings and antennae shape are perfect camouflage for aussie leaf litter.
Photos are my attempt to coax him onto paper with moist woody bits . Instead he just dragged some onto himself. Ah, gotta love em.
Lisa
Sydney Australia

Hi Lisa,
Just over a year ago, we received two requests to identify this awesome Feather Horned Longicorn, Piesarthrius marginellus.  The Csiro Science Image website has a photo for comparison, as does the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery.

Dear Carlos
Thankyou so much for your reply, it was incredibly helpful. When I looked at the previous request you directed me to, here in this vast Australian continent, I was amazed to see the post was from my suburb.
Lane Cove, although close to the city, extremely built up and urban, is lucky to back onto Lane Cove National park – a diverse old ecosystem. Perhaps this odd variety evolved there, the coincidence is extraordinary.
Highest regards
Lisa

Ed. Note: We can’t help but to wonder who Carlos is.

Hey Daniel …Carlos.. whatever.
I rolled around laughing at your succinct reply.
I am sure who Carlos is.
Unfortunately, he is a rather nasty criminal who was being blabbed about on the news when I was writing that email!
The phonetic association with your surname must’ve sprung a coil in my very huge and tightly wound brain.
Humblest apologies. But gee I enjoyed the gaffaw.
Hope if sometime I write to you again, there’s a report on Einstein or Gandhi in the noise space.
Dear Albert…
Lisa
..must go fix that darn loose cranium spring…mutter mutter.

Letter 105 – Featherhorned Longicorn from Australia

 

Subject: Who is this cute little guy?
Location: Gladstone in Central Queensland Australia
December 13, 2013 4:47 am
This little fellow came to visit my cousin in Gladstone, Queensland , Australia, just a few days ago. We googled all sorts of feather horned creatures but didn’t find anything quite the same. What’s this bug?
Signature: Sue

Dear Sue,
Though you used a good key word, it is understandable that you had trouble identifying this Featherhorned Longicorn, Piesarthrius marginellus, since there are not many good photos of it online.  We have several nice images of the Featherhorned Longicorn in our own archives, and your image might be the best of them.  We also located a beautiful image of the Featherhorned Longicorn on The View from Vinegar Hill blog.

Letter 106 – Featherhorned Longicorn from Australia: Piesarthrius frenchi

 

Subject: Bug Identification
Location: Dungog NSW Australia
January 3, 2014 3:08 pm
Hello we found this bug at Dungog NSW Australia and hoping you would be able to tell us what it is. Have had the property for 25 years and have never seen these here before. thanks in advance
Signature: Sharon Coates

Hi Sharon,
We must begin by complimenting you on some stunning photos of a truly amazing looking Feathered Longicorn, Piesarthrius marginellus.  We have several other examples of this Feathered Longicorn in our archives, and we are truly excited when we receive new images.  The pinned specimen on the Atlas of Living Australia website is nowhere near as beautiful as your living specimen. 

Correction: April 16, 2017
Thanks to a comment from Jacquot, we have indicated the species as Piesarthrius frenchi, a different member for the genus that we had originally misidentified.  A mounted specimen is pictured on Papua Insects.

Letter 107 – Featherhorned Longicorn from Australia

 

Subject: Is this a fan horn?
Location: Kununurra Wa
February 14, 2015 2:30 pm
So we found this fella in the washing up pile. We live in the kimberley region of WA and no one we knew had seen this before, can you please tell us some more!
Signature: Ben

Dear Ben,
We are relatively certain your beetle is a Featherhorned Longicorn, Piesarthrius marginellus, which is relatively well represented on our site compared with the rest of the internet.  Your Western Australia sighting is beyond the sighting range reported on The Atlas of Living Australia.

Letter 108 – Female Lesser Pine Borer

 

Subject: What’s this bug?
Location: Alpharetta, GA
July 18, 2015 9:35 am
What is this big that I found?
Signature: Mr. Sam Moore

Dear Mr. Sam Moore,
We believe that based on the similarity between your individual and this image posted to BugGuide, that you have a female Lesser Pine Borer, Acanthocinus nodosus.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae eat bark (phloem) of dead or dying pine. Pupation occurs near bark surface. Adults are attracted to lights.”

Letter 109 – Female Lesser Pine Borer

 

Subject: Gray flying bug with stinger
Location: Wilmington NC USA
September 21, 2016 5:52 pm
I live in Wilmington North Carolina and saw this bug in mid September at night.
Signature: Sincerely

This is a female Lesser Pine Borer, Acanthocinus nodosus, which we identified thanks to an image in “Beetles of Eastern North America” by Arthur V. Evans, and we verified that identification with this BugGuide image.  According to BugGuide:  “Medium-sized longhorn beetle, gray with distinctive pattern. Long antennae in both genders, but males have a tuft of hair on the fourth segment (see photo above) and significantly longer antennae than the females. Female has pygidium modified into a tube for ovipositing.”  So, what you thought was a stinger is actually the pygidium that is used by the female to lay eggs.

Awesome!! Thanks so much!!  Now I can brag to my fellow firefighters that I knew what that was!!
Thanks again!
Mike

Letter 110 – Female Longicorn: Graphisurus fasciatus

 

Subject: Stink bug with stick butt
Location: Virginia
June 25, 2017 5:26 am
I found this bug on my car window one evening after coming home. It looks like a stink bug but it has a long stick looking thing on its back end. I’m always interested in researching new bugs when I find them. What is it?
Signature: Interested bug person

Dear Interested bug person,
This is not a stink bug.  It is a Longicorn beetle, and we have identified it as Graphisurus fasciatus thanks to images posted on BugGuide.

Letter 111 – Female Longicorn: Graphisurus fasciatus

 

Subject: Whats is this?
Location: Rhode Island
June 28, 2017 6:44 pm
Located in the house near the window. Crawls most of the time, but did flap wings.
Signature: With a pen?

This female Longicorn is Graphisurus fasciatus.

Letter 112 – Female Stenodontes sp. has ovipositor, not phallus

 

RE: phallus or stinger…but on a beetle?
Hello, I love your site.
I found this guy while I was walking in our office parking garage. A friend here at work said “beetles don’t have stingers” so, I guess it could be a phallus. It most closely resembles what you have described on your site as a California Prionus beetle, but the pics you have don’t show a stinger. What is this bug, and what is the pointy-thing?
Thanks,
Courtney Cavness, Austin Texas

Hi Courtney,
Yes your beetle does look like one of the Prionus, but beetles do not have stingers, and the appendage is not a phallus either. We suspect it is an ovipositor since this type of beetle lays eggs in trees, but we will turn to an expert, Eric. Below is his response:

Dear Daniel:
Had to laugh at this one:-) This is indeed another prionid longhorned beetle, but it is a Stenodontes sp. (or what used to be called Stenodontes anyway, I think they changed the name).
The funny part is that this is a FEMALE! The “stinger-phallus” is actually her ovipositor, what she lays eggs with in the crevices of bark. When beetles die, females often evert the normally retracted ovipositor. Who knows why?
Male Stenodontes resemble a prionid crossed with a stag beetle, as they have enlarged jaws (and can USE them, let me tell ya!). Looking forward to seeing the site back up in October. Oh, BUGGUIDE.NET had THEIR server crash, so they are temporarily out of commission also. Bad month! It should be running again by October, but you might want to check, and put a notice up to that effect if it is still not up when your site goes back online.
Take care.
Sincerely,
Eric

Letter 113 – Flower Longhorn

 

red and black bug
Hello – love your site. When I was little, we had these bugs on some weeds in the back of the playground in St. Louis, MO. I did a google search to try and find what they were, and I’m almost certain this is a pic of one. We called them “Pinchers”, I assume because they pinch. Any info. you have would be great!
Amy

Hi Amy,
This is some species of Flower Longhorn in the subfamily Lepturniae. We could not find an exact match on BugGuide. We will see if Eric Eaton recognizes the species. Here is what Eric has to say: “Gee, I can’t find an exact match in Yanega’s guide, either, but it looks like it might be a species in the genus Trigonarthris. Lepturines are notorious for extreme individual variation, so that doesn’t help. There is a great site, though, someting like cerambycidae.com or cerambycid.com, that has some great images. You might try that, too. Sorry I can’t be more definitive. Eric”

Letter 114 – Flower Longhorn

 

Need help identifying this borer beetle
Hello!
I found this nice beetle flying low around the base of one of the trees in my backyard yesterday. (I have no idea what kind of tree it is, sadly.) I thought it was a wasp at first, by its flight pattern. It is almost exactly 1 inch long, not including antennae, which are about half an inch. I noticed after I took it inside to take its picture that it makes an quite audible shrieking sound when I pick it up.
After looking through all 13 beetle pages on your site and not finding a match to my beetle, I decided to send it in. 🙂 At least during my searches, I determined that it was some sort of borer. I’d like to get an exact match so I can eventually include the beetle in my insect collection. Thanks,
Jessica in Sartell, MN

Hi Jessica,
This is one of the Flower Longhorns in the subfamily Lepturinae. According to images on BugGuide, it looks like Stenocorus schaumii.

Letter 115 – Flower Longhorn

 

Longhorn Beetle
Location:  Redmond, Washington, USA
July 20, 2010 2:49 am
Dear Bugman,
Thank you so much for your fantastic site!
This rather large beetle landed on my husband’s lap this evening and nearly sent him out the window!
We’d like to know if it is a friend or foe.
It is a very mild summer’s day in Redmond, Washington State ~ 65 degrees, sea level. We live out of town in a heavily wooded area – both deciduous and evergreen trees.
Thank you in advance for any assistance you can give!
Holly

Hi Holly,
We believe we have correctly identified your Flower Longhorn in the subfamily Lepturinae as Ortholeptura valida, a species with no common name.  The range, the west coast of North America, as indicated on BugGuide, seems correct.

Letter 116 – Flower Longhorn

 

I think It’s a long-horn?
Location: NY
June 18, 2011 6:39 pm
Caught this guy running across a leaf but not sure the type. Has orange running down both sides.
Signature: Thanks Guys

You are correct.  This is a Longhorn Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and furthermore, it is one of the Flower Longhorns in the subfamily Lepturinae.  We believe, based on photos posted to BugGuide, that it is Strangalepta abbreviata, a species without a common name.  BugGuide indicates:  “Larvae feed in various decaying conifers and hardwoods” and “Adults are attracted to many wildflowers”.

Letter 117 – Flower Longhorn

 

Thin Beetle

Thin Beetle
Location: Massachusetts
July 2, 2011 2:46 pm
There have been lots of these beetles on my dad’s rose bushes, but they don’t appear to be doing any harm to the roses. If you get close to them or disturb the plant they are on, they will fly away quickly.
Signature: Denny P

Hi Denny,
This is one of the Flower Longhorns in the subfamily Lepturinae.  We browsed through the pages of BugGuide and we believe we have correctly identified your beetle as Strangalia famelica.  BugGuide notes:  “famelica is Latin for ‘famished, starved’, likely referring to the attenuated abdomen.”  There are two subspecies and Strangalia famelica famelica can be found east of the Appalachian Mountains.  Flower Longhorns feed on nectar and pollen and they do not harm the flowers as your email has indicated.

 

Letter 118 – Flower Longhorn

 

Subject: Whats this bug?
Location: La Marque, Tx
November 2, 2012 11:50 pm
Every year i seem to run across this large lady bug looking bettle. They seem to love early mornings. Thats the only time i can catch them out and about. What is it?
Signature: Thanks in advance, tx Finest

Hi again tx Finest,
In our opinion, this is a Flower Longhorn in the subfamily Lepturniae, however, despite finding many similar looking individuals on BugGuide, we cannot provide a conclusive identification.

I’d have to take quite a bit of time to search and find you an answer, but the color of this image is a bit off, too.
Eric

No sense searching unless you have nothing else to do Eric.  Like I wrote, there were many similar ones.  The person wrote:  “They seem to love early mornings. Thats the only time i can catch them out and about.”  Since It was early morning, I did not correct the red color of the light.  Here is a color corrected version, though it is still off color.
D

Letter 119 – Flower Longhorn

 

Subject:  Beetle?
Geographic location of the bug:  Southern oregon coast
Date: 07/04/2018
Time: 10:23 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  What kind of big is this?
How you want your letter signed:  Mack

Dear Mack,
This is a Flower Longhorn in the subfamily Lepturinae and we believe we have correctly identified it as Dorcasina matthewsi thanks to images posted to BugGuide.

Letter 120 – Flower Longhorn

 

Subject:  Beetle ID
Geographic location of the bug:  Frost Mountain, Kittitas County,WA
Date: 08/01/2019
Time: 02:03 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  My wife photographed this beetle while we were camped at Frost Mountain, WA, 7/29/19. It’s back appears to be a leaf, but it looks like it’s actually a part of it’s body. What is it and is the “leaf” a real leaf that the beetle attached to itself or is it something the beetle was born with?
How you want your letter signed:  Kevin Rust

Dear Kevin,
This is a beautiful Beetle, and it is all Beetle with no leaf.  We started by searching for Flower Longhorns in the subfamily Lepturinae, but without much luck.  Then we found a thumbnail on Hiveminer that led us to this FlickR posting of Pachyta armata.  BugGuide has many images, but not much information.  iNaturalist also has images, and not much information, but sightings apparently peak in July/August.

Letter 121 – Flower Longhorn, but what genus or species???

 

Yellow (longhorn???) beetle, Colorado
Howdy bugman,
I was wondering if you could help me identify this guy? thanks so much!
Lori Mackay – Photographer

hi Lori,
We are confident that this is a Flower Longhorn in the subfamily Lepturinae, but we are uncertain as to the genus or species. It resembles several postings to BugGuide. It resembles the genera Typocerus, Strophiona, and Stenostrophia most closely. Perhaps Eric Eaton can be more conclusive.

Update: (07/06/2008)
Hi, Daniel:
I’m fairly confident that the image is of a species of Xestoleptura, perhaps Xestoleptura cockerelli or X. crassipes. Lepturines are really a bear, especially since the names of the genera seem to change fairly frequently….
Eric

Letter 122 – Flower Longhorn from Canada

 

Subject: Beetle with Orange
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
July 12, 2017 8:44 am
I’ve found a few of these bugs in my backyard. They are about one inch long and their abdomen is about 1/4 of an inch in diameter. They are mostly black, but they have some orange on their legs and abdomen. It looks like it have wings. I’ve seen it open the wings a little, but have never seen if fly.
Signature: AL

Dear Al,
We believe that this unusual looking Flower Longicorn is Pseudogaurotina cressoni based on this BugGuide image.  Interestingly, we already have this species represented on our site, but it appears to have a greenish tint.  According to the Insects of Alberta site it feeds on pollen. The one nagging doubt we have on our identification is that BugGuide does not list any sightings as far east as Manitoba.  We will attempt a second opinion.

Letter 123 – Flower Longhorn: properly identified as Lion Beetle

 

winged nonflying long antennaed, solitary
August 3, 2009
This creature appeared by itself just beyond the edge of a wooden porch deck. It wasn’t looking very chipper–moving slowly, stumbling, crawling on leaves–so I offered it water and then honeywater in a saucer (which I feed troubled bees). It drank a little and then lost balance in the water and fell to the ground.
Not to worry, though, it went under the deck and emerged on the other side–twice–walking, not flying. This would be a total of around 16 feet of wandering.
I found it again about an hour after first spotting it, and it was on the steps kinda floundering, not totally upright and seemingly waving a few legs to get my attention, so I offered my finger and it rode on my hand while I got the camera.

This all happened yesterday, I haven’t spotted it today.
I hope the photos show it well. What really got our attention were the exceptionally long articulated antennae, long body and tail that the insect curved up from time to time, and short wings.
In one picture, you can see the second set of legs up in the air like a surrender or a show of ferocity.
Juliette Sterner
Olympic Peninsula Washington

Hi Juliette,
We have a guess for you, and we are going to request assistance from Eric Eaton to confirm or deny.  This is a Long Horned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  Additionally, we believe it is one of the Flower Longhorns in the subfamily Lepturinae.  We believe we have identified it as Cosmosalia chrysocoma, a species with no common name.  According to BugGuide it can be identified by:  “The very dense, appressed, metallic golden pubescence is quite distinctive.“ The puzzling component of your photo is what appears to be a deformation of the elytra or wing covers.  We aren’t sure if it is a natural deformation, or caused by trauma, or if perhaps they haven’t fully expanded due to recent metamorphosis.  We hope Eric Eaton can shed some light on this.

Comment with Correction
I don’t know North America longhorns but I’m sure that you identified it wrong because if the second par of wings is unharmed so I tried to identify it myself and I found that it might be a Lion Beetle – Ulochaetes leoninus at least according to bugguide http://bugguide.net/node/view/65020/bgimage.
mardikavana

Thanks mardikavana,
We appreciate the correction.  Seems it must not be such a common beetle if there is only one image on Bugguide.  We decided to do a bit more web snooping and Answers.com indicates:  “DISTRIBUTION  Pacific coast, from British Columbia to southern California.
HABITAT  Pine forests.
BEHAVIOR  Look, sound, and behave like bumble bees.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET  Larvae bore into sapwood of conifers.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY  Eggs are laid at the base of standing dead trees and stumps.
CONSERVATION STATUS  Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS  Interesting example of physical and behavioral mimicry.“

Update from Eric Eaton
August 4, 2009
Hi, Daniel:
I agree with the identifications for both of the beetles:  A species of Derobrachus, and an example of the “lion beetle” as offered by others.  See what a great community you have created?:-)  I tell you, I learn as much from WTB as I contribute….
… Keep up the great job, Daniel:-)
Eric

Letter 124 – Flower Longhorn: Evodinus monticola vancouveri

 

Subject: black-spotted beetle
Location: Olympic Mountains, WA
May 27, 2015 12:52 pm
Hi, This beautiful beetle flew into the picture as I was photographing the Washington State flower, Rhododendron macrophyllum, in the Olympic Mountains at an elevation of about 3500 feet. I took the picture May26, 2015. Any idea what it is?
Signature: gardenjim

Dear gardenjim,
We have identified your Flower Longhorn as Evodinus monticola vancouveri, a species with no common name, by matching it to an image posted to BugGuide.  It really is a stunning beetle.

Letter 125 – Flower Longhorn from Canada

 

Subject: longhorn flower beetle
Location: baltimore ontario
May 31, 2015 2:35 pm
Hi
Just getting confirmation that this is a longhorn flower beetle.
Beautiful metallic green shell with orange legs.
Was sitting in a tree which had white flowers. May 30,2015
Signature: terri martin

Dear Terri,
Your beetle is indeed a Flower Longhorn in the subfamily Lepturinae, and we have identified it as Gaurotes cyanipennis, a species with no common name, thanks to images posted on BugGuide where it states:  “Comes in 2 color phases, smooth metalic purple or green. Legs yellow. Elytra smooth, pronotum tapers gradually.”

Letter 126 – Flower Longhorn from France

 

Insect ID
Location: South of France
June 18, 2011 8:02 pm
can you help me identify these insects
please. photos takn in South of France i mid June.
Thank you
Signature: David

Hi David,
In not too much time, we were able to identify your beautiful Flower Longhorn as Stictoleptura cordigera on this website: http://www.cerambyx.uochb.cz/corcord.htm.  Here is another photo from the GEOLocations website.  Longhorn Beetles are also called Longicorns or Capricorns.  Your other insect is some species of Robber Fly.

Letter 127 – Flower Longhorn from Washington: Pachyta armata

 

Subject:  Bug ID
Geographic location of the bug:  Washington State central Cascades forest
Date: 08/05/2021
Time: 08:16 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I can’t find anyone who can ID this insect I saw on a hike last week. Can you help?
How you want your letter signed:  Debbie

Dear Debbie,
We first posted an image of this unusual Flower Longicorn, Pachyta armata, back in 2019 and we spent considerable more time trying to identify it originally.  There is not much information available on this species with no common name.  According to Montana Field Guides:  “We do not yet have descriptive information on this species.  Please try the buttons above to search for information from other sources.”  According to Jungle Dragon:  “This beetle is distributed in USA.”  BugGuide reports sightings along Pacific coast states and Canada.

Letter 128 – Flower Longhorn: Leptura subhamata

 

Subject: Several IDs please
Location: Mason Co. Michigan
July 9, 2016 7:25 pm
Good evening,
I’ve attached three photos which i would like help with. The first, I think is an an mimic spider and would like to know what kind. The second, I think is a long-horn beetle but can not find specific information. And third, I found a pair of unusual insect “egg nests” (for lack of better term). If you can shed some light on what these are I’d appreciate it. Both were found on Lilac leaves.
Thank you!
John R. Poindexter
Signature: John

Dear John,
As it stands, your request has three very different “creatures” you would like identified:  a spider, a beetle and a cluster of eggs.  To keep our classifications on our site from being too confusing, we limit our postings to a single species, or at least a single classification category.  With that stated, your Longhorn  appears to be Leptura subhamata, which we identified on BugGuide, where it states:  “larvae host in decomposing Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and pine species (Pinus).”  If you still want additional information on your Spider and Eggs, please resubmit distinct new requests limiting your submission to a single species.

Daniel,
Thank you for your quick response and information on the beetle. My apologies for “clumping” my requests. I will resubmit for the spider. However, a friend (utilizing your site) identified the egg nest for me as that of a wheel bug.
Again, thank you for you quick help.
Regards, John

Letter 129 – Flower Longhorn: Pseudogaurotina cressoni

 

A moth and a beetle
Hi,
What a wonderful site you have here! I’ve enjoyed looking through the pictures of bugs. A few days ago I saw a couple of beautiful insects in the mountains of BC, Canada, and I was wondering if you could help identify them. The moth I’m pretty sure is a snowberry clearwing or hummingbird moth, but my bug books didn’t have any beetles that looked exactly like the one I have here, which is large with very long antennae and a brilliant iridescent green. If you can help me identify them I’d be very grateful.
Jessica
Alberta, Canada

Hi Jessica,
This is a Flower Longhorn. It resembles Gaurotes cyanipennis, but the dark legs and antennae on your specimen differ from the photos on BugGuide, so we wonder if it is a different species in the same genus. We will check with Eric Eaton.

Hi, Daniel: Took me a bit to research this one. The specimen in the image is Pseudogaurotina cressoni, nearly identical to Gaurotes, obviously! Both are truly spectacular beetles that are not uncommon on flowers in eastern North America. Eric

Letter 130 – Flower Longhorn: Stenelytrana emarginata

 

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.

Letter 131 – Flower Longhorn: Stenelytrana emarginata

 

Beautiful bug on the window
June 7, 2010
I work at my computer where I can watch my tiny yard which backs onto a creek in DFW area of north Texas. I watch the birds/hawks during the day, raccoons, possums, and occasional fox at night. Yesterday, I looked up to see this lovely specimen. However, I cannot identify him. Please help..I had a cog beetle one day, but this? Hmm.
All Critter Lover

Dallas-Fort Worth North Texas

Dear All Critter Lover,
This Flower Longhorn is Stenelytrana emarginata and it does not have a common name.  BugGuide indicates it is attracted to fermenting bait.  Were you by chance drinking a banana daquiri at the time of the sighting?  Your photo is quite painterly.

Letter 132 – Flower Longhorn: Strangalia famelica

 

Subject: Weird bug in Central Texas
Location: Bastrop, Tx
May 2, 2014 11:59 am
Minding my own business outside the other day and this guy flies around me in a very peculiar fashion. Not quite a wasp, not quite a beetle. I followed him to my rose bush and took some pictures of him. After consulting the insect guides I have and of course, the all powerful Google, I am no closer to figuring it out. Hope you can help me out, I’d love to know what he was. Thanks!
Signature: A. Roberts

Dear A. Roberts,
It seems you were taken in by the mimicry often incorporated by Longhorn Beetles, many of which mimic stinging wasps.  This is a Flower Longhorn in the subfamily Lepturinae, and we believe we have correctly identified it as Strangalia famelica thanks to images posted to BugGuide.

Letter 133 – Flower Longhorn: Strangalia famelica

 

Subject:  What is this bug?
Geographic location of the bug:  Massachusetts
Date: 07/15/2018
Time: 11:56 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Do you know what this insect is? There are several on my oak leaf hydrangea shrub.
How you want your letter signed:  Ellen P

Dear Ellen,
This is a Flower Longhorn Beetle in the subfamily Lepturinae, and we identified it as Strangalia famelica thanks to this BugGuide image.  According to BugGuide:  “Adults come to flowers for nectar and/or pollen” and “Larvae feed on decaying wood of chestnut, oak, birch.”

Letter 134 – Flower Longhorn: Trigonarthris proxima

 

Subject: Soldier Beetle?
Location: Southwestern CT
June 13, 2016 11:10 am
This beetle is feeding on the flowers of Bishop’s Weed (agapotum). It is not chewing the petals but appears to be searching for tiny insects.
Is it some kind of soldier beetle?
Signature: Susan in CT

Dear Susan in CT,
This is NOT a Soldier Beetle, and we believe we have correctly identified your Flower Longhorn as Trigonarthris proxima thanks to images posted to BugGuide.  Of the genus, BugGuide notes:  “Adults take nectar and/or pollen at flowers.”  This is a new species for our site.

Thank you so much for your quick response.  The coloring wasn’t quite right for the soldier beetle but I didn’t know what else it could be.  Will look up Flower Longhorn.
I only saw one of them on one afternoon.  It hasn’t returned.
Susan

Letter 135 – Flower Longhorn: Typocerus deceptus

 

Subject: what is this?
Location: Braxton County, WV
October 30, 2013 11:54 am
here is an insect on a Queen Anne’s Lace. Any idea what it is?
Signature: Nora Dotson

Dear Nora,
We identified your Flower Longhorn as Typocerus deceptus on BugGuide, however the season is listed as June-July.  We checked the metadata on your digital file and learned the photo was taken on July 4, 2013, which is consistent with the season.

Letter 136 – Flower Longhorns

 

Subject: Bug identification help
Location: Manchester, CT
July 1, 2017 11:01 am
I can not identify this bug and have never seen one. Can you help.
Signature: K.Varszegi

Dear K. Varszegi,
We believe we have correctly identified your Flower Longhorns as Strangalia luteicornis thanks to images posted to BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “Adults take nectar and/or pollen at flowers, are said to be especially fond of sumac” and “Larvae feed on decaying wood of several deciduous trees and woody vines. Adults attracted to UV light.”

 

Letter 137 – French’s Longhorn from Australia

 

Subject: Batocera sp. Australia
Location: Mossman, Queensland, Australia 4873
December 22, 2012 7:54 pm
Could you identify this beetle for me? It’s Batocera sp. but I can’t find a direct identification
Signature: Stephen Turner

Hi Guys
I have now found it!  Batocera frenchi
Happy Christmas holidays to you
Stephen

Ed. Note:  We didn’t realize Stephen had his answer when we prepared this response.
Dear Stephen,
We believe this may be a French’s Longhorn, Batocera frenchi, and we did considerable research several years ago when we posted a photo of a mating pair.  We found a male specimen for sale on Ebay and Insects & More lists it as rare.

Letter 138 – French’s Longicorn from Australia

 

French’s Longicorn
Location:  Etty Bay, Far North Queensland, Australia
October 4, 2010 1:58 am
Thanks so much for your wonderful site. It has helped me to identify a friend that decided to visit our tent whilst we were on holiday at Etty Bay, Far North Queensland, Australia.
Signature:  The O’Brien Family

Dear O’Brien Family,
We are thrilled to read that you were able to use our extensive archives to self-identify your French’s Longicorn, Batocera frenchi.  We will once again cite the vintage postcard upon which it appears that also contains the data:  “This is one of the finest Longicorn Beetles in Australia. It is found in the rain forests from northern New South Wales to north Queensland. It measures 2” or more in length and is found in certain native fig trees, in the branches and trunks of which its grubs feed. This beetle is a common species of the family Cerambycidae.”  It is also pictured on the Csiro Entomology website.  Your male specimen sure has some impressive antennae.

Letter 139 – Goat Insect is Capricorn Beetle from Paraguay: Steirastoma breve

 

Subject: GOAT INSECT
Location: Encarnación, Paraguay
May 3, 2014 1:00 pm
Hi, my name is Clara Müller and I’m from Paraguay. One day, in February of this year I found this insect I’ve never seen before walking through my garden. So I wanted to know if anyone recognizes this kind of insect or knows the name of it. As you can see in the picture I took, it was light gray with little black dots with long horns and shiny eyes. It was like the size of a cockroach. It was wet and kind of hurt because of the rain. It looks like a “goat insect” to me. I’ve just seen it once and I’m curious.
I would be happy if you reply to this letter.
Thanks in advance!
Clara 🙂
Signature: Clara Müller

Hi Clara,
While we do not have the time right now to research the identity of your Goat Insect, we can tell you what we do know.  This is a Capricorn Beetle or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and we never really understood why they were called Capricorn Beetles until we received your request.  Capricorn is the zodiacal sign of the goat and your Capricorn Beetle really does resemble a goat, so we think Goat Insect is a perfectly acceptable common name for your particular species, which we hope to be able to identify after we return to the office.

Update:  May 4, 2014
Hi again Clara,
We believe your Capricorn beetle bears a strong resemblance to the images of Steirastoma breve that are posted on the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery.  We found additional images on PaDil where it is called a Cacao Beetle and there it is noted:  “S. breve has been recorded as the most serious cerambycid pest of cocoa in the New World.”  Steirastoma breve appeared on a postage stamp from Argentina in 2002 and you may see an image of that stamp on Colnect.  There is also a nice image on FlickR that looks close to your Goat Insect, but part of the illusion is the camera angle and the shape of the head, which we cannot find duplicated in other images online.  There is one image that we located in a google image search, but alas, we cannot access the site at http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?pid=S0120-04882008000200003&script=sci_arttext though we can see there is a reference to “La ‘gota’ del cacao, Steirastoma breve (Sulzer, 1776) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).”  We can’t help but to wonder if “gota” is a Spanglish name for goat, but that search has turned up a dead end since “gota” translates to “drop” or “gout” in English and “goat” in Spanish is either “chiva” or “cabra”.  We are not fully convinced that there might still be some relationship between the words “gota” in Spanish and “goat” in English, since searching the term “La ‘gota’ del Cacao” led us to yet another reference to the family Cerambycidae in the Biblioteca Naciional de Venezuela catalog and an article on Biblioteca Virtual – FUNDESYRAM that is specifically about Steirastoma breve.  Perhaps one of our readers with better Spanish language skills that our own can shed some light on this intriguing cross-linguistic word puzzle.

Hi Daniel,
Thank you for your fast response, I can see the resemblance in the pictures. There isn’t any cocoa plants in my yard or (I think) in my town, but I still believe this Goat Insect is one of them .. Since my native language is Spanish I can tell you for sure that the words “Gota” and “Goat” are not related, but I still wanted to know why it’s called like this. So I searched for “La gota del cacao” on Google and I found this website: http://www.fundesyram.info/biblioteca/displayFicha.php?fichaID=3798. There is some useful information for farmers who grow cocoa and how to prevent the damages caused by our little friend. They say that the most harmful things are the Steirastoma breve larvae because they eat the bark of the plant, cut its wood and cause the death of the plant. They also say that the larvae excrete a white liquid in little “drops” which makes easier for farmers to see them. (gota = drop).
If this information is correct I think we already have our answer. Anyway if you have another information to share I would like to hear it.
Thanks for your time and have a nice week!

Thanks for writing back Clara.  We really appreciate the etymological information as language, especially when translation is involved, can be quite confusing.

Letter 140 – Great Capricorn Beetle from Romania

 

Subject:  What kind of bug is this?
Geographic location of the bug:  Romania, Paulesti region
Date: 06/29/2019
Time: 10:10 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found this near my window. Could you please identify it?
How you want your letter signed:  Andrew S.

Dear Andrew,
This is a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and based on images posted to Beetles from Romania, we originally thought it might be Monochamus sartor, a member of the genus commonly called Sawyers, but additional research has caused us to rethink that and to conclude that it is more likely a Great Capricorn Beetle, Cerambyx cerdo, a mistake we have made in the past.  The images on iNaturalist were a strong factor in our correction.  According to a pdf from EU Wildlife and Sustainable Farming Project:  “The great capricorn beetle is a large beetle with a thin body and very long antennae which are longer than the body” and “The species is declining across Northern Europe but is still relatively common in South France, Spain and Italy. Nevertheless, even here, the rate of decline is worrying.”

Dear Daniel,
Thank you for taking the time to examine the photos, cross-reference the sources and write such a detailed response. I command you for willingly answering the questions of so many out of passion. Your help is much appreciated.
Have a good day,
Andrew

Letter 141 – Happy Fifteenth Anniversary whatsthatbug.com

 

What’s That Bug? turns fifteen today!!!
Dear faithful readers,
What’s That Bug? has several dates that we acknowledge.  We started as a column in the zine American Homebody in May 1998, and when the now defunct website American Homebody went live in 2001, we had our first presence on the internet.  See the history of American Homebody on Lisa Anne Auerbach’s site. We existed in that format for a year, and then on August 25, 2002, we registered the www.whatsthatbug.com domain, and this was our first posting as a unique website.  There was no image with that submission, and we found an image from the internet to use.  That launch date for our site predates the popularity of cellular telephones with the ability to take images.  Early submissions to our site required actual digital cameras to provide images.  Through the years, our mission has always been to educate people to appreciate and tolerate the lower beasts.  Interestingly, Longhorn Beetles, the category of that first posting, is still the most populated category on our site with 1012 postings as of right now.  Here is a gorgeous image of a Banded Alder Borer from our archives.

Banded Alder Borer (from our archives)

Fanmail
Congratulations dear Daniel!  Your site is so fascinating and you have maintained it faithfully and you have followers all over the world.  Thank you for keeping us intrigued.
Best,
Monique

Daniel,
WTB is a great resource for me, particularly as it’s imbued with Daniel’s humor, as well as his knowledge.
Particularly fun is the Bug Love section 😀
Daniel’s beautiful book, “The Curious World of Bugs”,
( Ours is signed to Jessica with the admonition: “Do good work on the dark continent; and Don’t let the Creechies bite”)
should be on everyone’s shelf, as far as I’m concerned!

Letter 142 – Heart Beetle

 

Subject: Bug
Location: Southwest Oregon
August 22, 2016 8:10 pm
I was hiking up Mt Mcloughlin Oregon and this attractive little bugger copped a ride. After he was kind enough to pose, he flew away, I can not find any information on this fella. Could you help?
Signature: Happy Hiker

Dear Happy Hiker,
It did not take us too long to identify your Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae as Pachyta armata, but alas, BugGuide has no information on the species.  A comment by Gary Griswold on a BugGuide posting states:  ” in the Pacific Northwest we call them heart beetles. Assocated with high alpine enviroment….”  Other than finding some additional images online, we have not had any success in locating any species specific information.

Letter 143 – Heiroglyphic Moth and Unknown Longicorn Beetle from Costa Rica

 

Two insects – not sure what class or?
Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 3:20 PM
I am sending two photographs of insects I have seen here in Costa Rica but each one only once. I’m not even sure whether I am dealing with bugs, beetles, or? I want to post the photos to a site trying to build a world insect identification guide, but can’t post until I know what I’m posting. The long silvery insect is quite lovely, I think. The other was a photo taken with a flash at night in the rain as I was getting off a bus in San Vito, Costa Rica. The yellow, black, white, and I think blue insect could be a beetle but . . . Definitely rural or forest insects to be found in the highlands of southern Costa Rica.
Mary B. Thorman
San Vito, Coto Brus, Costa Rica

Hi Mary,
The flash photo is of a Heiroglyphic Moth, Diphthera festiva, a species we have posted previously to What’s That Bug? and also found on the Featured Creatures website.  The Heiroglyphic moth is an Owlet Moth in the family Noctuidae that is encountered in Florida as well as the tropical regions of Central America.  Your other insect is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We haven’t the time to research the exact species, but perhaps one of our readers will have the answer and submit a comment or a letter.

 

Letter 144 – Huhu Beetle from New Zealand

 

Really Creepy Bug
January 17, 2010
Okay i was just walking into my house and find this huge weird fella on the bottom of my door.
I freaked out at first but i grew fascinated into catching it and just have a closer look at it.
So i did.. and i fed it a giant moth at night.. after seeing this thing eat the moth i was just scared lol
the next morning i just let it go in the forest..
please let me know what this is!!!
Josh Ryu
New Zealand

Hi Josh,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the subfamily Prioninae, known as the Prionid Beetles. While trying to identify it, we found this nice link to information on the Giant Fiji Longhorn Borer, Xixuthrus heros, with awesome vintage images of the indigenous people of Fiji eating the grubs.  Continued searching led us to a Wikipedia page on the Huhu Beetle, Prionoplus reticularis, and we verified that identification with other websites.  Like many other Prionids, the grubs of the Huhu Beetle are edible, and were considered to be a delicacy among the Maori, according to the TrekNature website.  The Huhu Beetle is the largest beetle in New Zealand.  To the best of our knowledge, the Longhorned Borer Beetles are not predators, and we are surprised at your claim that it fed upon a moth.

Letter 145 – HuHu Beetle from New Zealand

 

Unidentified New Zealand bug
Location: Marahau, northern South Island, New Zealand
March 14, 2012 7:16 am
Hello there!
I was going through some pictures I took in New Zealand a couple of years ago, and came across an image of a large bug, which looked interesting at the time but which I never ID’ed. I’d love to know what it is.
It was just resting on the side of a building when I found it. I should mention this was in the middle of summer and the weather was quite warm and a bit humid; we weren’t out in the ”bush” or forest, but on a farm-like campground next to a National Park. This was about a 20-minute walk from the sea.
Any help would be much appreciated–I’m rather curious to know what this is!
Signature: M. Fullick

Dear M. Fullick,
The distinctive HuHu Beetle, Prionoplus reticularis, is the largest beetle found in New Zealand according to the Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand.  It is a member of the Longhorned Beetle family Cerambycidae and the grubs of the beetles in this family are borers in woody trees and shrubs.  Your individual is a female based on the presence of the pointed ovipositor that she uses to lay eggs in dead trees and posts.  The Tai Awatea government website has some marvelous information including that the beetles are attracted to lights.  The grubs are edible and were eaten by native Maori people.

Thank you very much! I’d definitely heard of the grubs (they’re famous in NZ), but had never seen the actual beetle until the day I took that picture. She must have been waking up, it was early evening when I found her.
Thanks again–cheers!
Melonie

Letter 146 – Longicorn Beetle

 

interesting looking beetle
I was outside doing a little star gazing one night and when I went to look through my telescope I found this little guy just sitting on my eye piece. I’ve done a little investigation and I think maybe it’s an Asian Longhorned Beetle? Any idea what it could be? It was probably 1″ long and it had huge antennae.
Thanks a bunch.
Chris

Dear Chris,
We are uncertain what species of Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle you have here.  It may be in the genus Monochamus.  A location would help as we are not certain you are in North America.

Letter 147 – Introduced Albizia Longhorned Beetle in Hawaii

 

Subject:  Unidentified bug on sheet hanging on clothesline
Geographic location of the bug:  Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Date: 10/26/2017
Time: 02:55 AM EDT
Please can anyone id this bug? Thank you
How you want your letter signed:  Kathy Shivel

Dear Kathy,
This is a Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and our money is on it being an introduced species.  We quickly located this image of the Coptops aedificator on the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery where its range is listed as:  “Arabia, Africa, S. Helena, S. Thomé, Cabo Verde, Madagascar, Comores, Seychelles, Mauritius, Ceylon, India, Andaman. Introduced in China (Taiwan) and Hawaii.”  Previously we have  identified the Albizia Longhorned Beetle in Hawaii.

Letter 148 – Invasive Hawaiian Kiawe Round-Headed Borers Emerge from souvenir Tiki Statue in Oregon

 

Subject:  Bug from Maui found in wood art
Geographic location of the bug:  In Oregon now, brought Tiki from Hawaii
Date: 03/09/2019
Time: 12:43 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hi, Our Tiki from Hawaii had sawdust around it for awhile, I put in a container. A couple months later these two guys showed up. Wondering what they are. Gave them some water but not sure I want to let them loose. They bore big holes in wood.
Thanks!
How you want your letter signed:  Verlan & Kristi

Dear Verlan & Kristi,
This is a Kiawe Roung-Headed Borer, Placosternus crinicornis, an invasive species in Hawaii.  Its larvae are wood borers that feed on Kiawe or Prosopsis, and ccording to Wikipedia, Kiawe or Prosopis limensis is a species of mesquite native to South America.  According to BugGuide:  “This beetle’s host plant, Kiawe (Prosopis pallida), is a tropical mesquite native to Peru, Ecuador and Colombia that was introduced to Hawai’i by a single seed planted in a courtyard in Honolulu in 1826. Kiawe spread to all islands and became a source of nectar for honey production, the abundant seed pods produced became fodder for a growing cattle industry, and the wood is prized for smoking meats and barbecue. The first Kiawe Round-headed Borer was collected in 1904. The beetles are attracted to felled trees and cut wood.”  Beetles with wood boring larvae frequently emerge from milled lumber many years after the tree that contained the larva was felled.

Letter 149 – Kiawe Round Headed Borer from Hawaii

 

spotted flying insect with red legs
March 18, 2010
On a visit to Hanauma Bay on Oahu last summer, I took a picture of a bug I havent seen before. This was my first and last time seeing this creature. I think the bug was about 2-3cm long.
curious
hawaii

Dear curious,
Two months ago we received a letter with a photo, and we identified a pair of mating Kiawe Round Headed Borers, Placosternus crinicornis, the same species depicted in your photograph.  Like many creatures on Hawaii, the Kiawe Round Headed Borer is not native, and it can be found on the Invasive Species website.

Letter 150 – Le Longicorne des Champs from Canada

 

What is this
Location: Ontario
June 30, 2011 3:26 pm
I found this bug on my garbage can outside. I have never seen it around before! What is it?
Signature: Kelly

Hi Kelly,
In French speaking Canada, this pretty Longhorned Borer Beetle is called Le Longicorne des champs, but alas in the U.S. it has no common name.  It is known scientifically as Clytus ruricola, though it might also be a closely related species.  You can see BugGuide for additional information like that the “Larvae feed on decaying hardwoods, especially Maple Acer species.”

Letter 151 – Long Jawed Longhorn

 

Subject: Hellboy Beetle?
Location: Central AZ
July 9, 2013 9:38 pm
Hi! I cannot for the life of me identify this beetle and am hoping you can please help. I’ve seen similar, but not exact, beetles online (i.e. long horned Flower beetle?). There was also a random post from a couple who were trying to identify this same beetle in Ecuador. My photo was taken at Roosevelt Lake, Arizona; about 90 minutes NE of Phoenix. It flies and there were a few others, but not many. It was very hot out as this pic was taken last weekend, 07/05/2013. Thank you!
Signature: Jen GC

Dear Jen,
This is sure a beautiful Long Jawed Longhorn, Trachyderes mandibularis.  According to BugGuide:  “Hosts: Citrus, Parkinsonia, Salix (4), Celtis (Hovore et al. 1987).”  We also have this posting regarding a beetle from Ecuador.

Letter 152 – Longhorn

 

Subject: Identify
Location: Youngstown, ohio
May 14, 2017 12:56 pm
Found 3 in house rhos week, one in cupboard near coffee.
Signature: Terro

Dear Terro,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and larvae from this family bore in wood.  We are consulting with Eric Eaton to see if he agrees with us, but we believe we have correctly identified your beetle as Pronocera collaris thanks to this BugGuide image.  According to Arthur V. Evans in his book Beetles of Eastern North America:  “Larva develops in spruce (Picea) and pine (Pinus).  Adults active in summer on flowers.”   Do you have a wood pile of pine or spruce or have you recently brought a pine or spruce piece of new furniture into your home?  The larvae might have been developing in the wooden item and then emerged inside your home.  Our editorial staff grew up in Campbell on the east side of Youngstown and we still visit several times a year.

Letter 153 – Balsam Fir Sawyer

 

Subject:  Longhorn what?
Geographic location of the bug:  Eastern Shore, Nova Scotia Canada
Date: 09/13/2021
Time: 09:15 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Was on my deck, snapped a photo. Unsure what kind of longhorned beetle this is.
How you want your letter signed:  Thanks, Scott

Dear Scott,
Based on this image from BugGuide, we are pretty certain this is a Balsam Fir Sawyer, Monochamus marmorator.  In researching this identification, we discovered a misidentified Longicorn on our site that we originally identified as a Balsam Fir Sawyer.

Letter 154 – Long-Horned Bee

 

Daniel, A native bee on my bush sunflower
Location: South Pasadena, CA
May 27, 2011 2:30 am
At least I think it’s a native bee. It’s not a honey bee, and the flower is a native. As a secondary identification request, I’m curious about what voracious and unseen bug is eating the flowers
Signature: Barbara

Hi Barbara,
This is a Long-Horned Bee in the tribe Eucerini, but we are not certain of the species.  We spent the entire morning editing the presentation for tomorrow, and just when we whittled the images down to the best, you send in this candidate.

Letter 155 – Long Horned Bee: Squash Bee

 

Ferocious bee
Hi Bugman!
Today I was examining my squashes when I saw this strange-looking bee. It has long antennae like a long horned bee, but its body doesn’t really look like one. It was traveling from squash flower to squash flower, but instead of drinking the nectar, it looked like it just wanted to sit in them. The bee itself looks oddly moody and temperamental, and it definitely acted aggressive whenever I tried to take a close-up shot of it. After taking the pictures I sent you, I tried to stick my camera into the flower to get a really nice shot, and I know that any insect would have been a bit annoyed, but this one, when I wasn’t even very close, launched itself out of the flower and body slammed my lens! I was pretty shaken after that, and I haven’t been able to find the bee since. But I would really appreciate finding out what type of bee it is, since I’ve never seen one before (I live in the San Francisco Bay area). Thanks,
Brandon

Hi Brandon,
We believe this bee is in the genus Peponapis, known as Squash Bees. Squash Bees are Long Horned Bees in the tribe Eucerini, hence the resemblance.

Update: 906/29/2008)
Daniel:
Your identification of the squash bee is correct, and it is a male bee. Peponapis pruinosa is the likely species.
Eric Eaton

Letter 156 – Long Horned Bees. But why the aggregation?????

 

What kind of bees live in my garden, added location info
Bugman,
I will first tell you that I have taken it upon myself to see if I can identify these bees myself. I think they could be the European Dark Bee (Apis mellifera)(?) but the pictures don’t seem to match exactly. The habits of these bees is also very puzzling. In the evening these bees all congregate on my Miscanthus grass in my garden. They cling exclusively to two separate blades of grass and hang out there. They have not built any structure to live in and seem to have collected pollen for no reason at all. They do not seem aggressive but I still used caution taking these photos (that is why they are not very clear) because I am pregnant and thought it would be worth the effort to avoid getting stung by an entire group of angry bees. Can you help me identify these bees?
Thanks for checking into this, I hope this e-mail reaches you, I cannot open your websites home-page and have noticed that the latest request for ID was in ’05. Cheers,
Jessica Strickle

Bugman,
I see your website is up and running again and have also read through some of your scoldings to those who have requested ID. I am in Washington, IL (middle of Illinois) and these bees are about 3/4 of an inch long. If you get a chance to answer this, great! I just thought I might have a better chance with better information. Cheers,
Jessica Strickler

Hi Jessica,
First we feel guilty that you have called us on chastising (we like that better than scolding) our casual readership for not providing us with much needed information. We would never think to chastise you as your letter is so thorough. Yes, our website was down as we had internet connectivity problems, but our Time Warner serviceman, Tom, has assured us that the problem is remedied now. We believe, though we are not positive, that these are Mining Bees in the family Andrenidae. What has us curious is the social aggregation in a solitary species. We are going to request assistance from a true expert, Eric Eaton, on this.

Correction (07/29/2007)
Hi, Daniel:
The bees are all males in the tribe Eucerini (family Apidae), and probably the genus Melissodes, but I can’t be positive. They sometimes congregate like this to “sleep,” gripping a grassblade or twig in their jaws.
Eric

Letter 157 – Long Horned Borer

 

Any Idea what species this is?
See photo. It was found high in a maple tree in British Columbia six years ago. Thanks.
Sandy McLachlan

Hi Sandy,
We wanted to check with Eric Eaton on a species identification of your Long Horned Borer Beetle. Here are his conclusions: “Two possibilities: the spotted tree borer, Synaphaeta guexi, 12-20 mm, known to bore in maple; Neocanthocinus obliquus, 9-14 mm, which bores in pine. I am using a very old reference, so these insects may have different scientific names by now, I don’t know. There is no up-to-date reference for northwest beetles. Eric “

Letter 158 – Long Horned Borer from Costa Rica

 

Hi Bugman,
This insect was on my curtain the other day. I’m not sure if you have one of these on your site and I don’t know which catagory it would be under if you did. It sort of looks like a beetle. I put him back outside whatever it was. Do you know?
Jordan Costa Rica

Hi Jordan,
This is a Long Horned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.

Update: (02/25/2007)
Valentine’s Day Beetle from Costa Rica
Hi Guys:
In examination of the photograph of the cerambycid from Costa Rica, it appears to be Psapharochrus circumflexus (aka Acanthoderes circumflexa). It, like so many insects, does not have a common name. It is very common in Costa Rica, and the larvae bore in many different freshly downed trees such as Cecropia. Hope this helps!
Ian Swift
Placerita Canyon Nature Center

Letter 159 – Longhorn Borer Pupa

 

Firewood bug
January 17, 2010
Hello. We received some firewood that was loaded with insect tracks, lots of bore holes and trails through the wood. Some bugs were found IN the tracks. Worried that these may be a bug that could harm the house, if we don’t burn the wood!
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! Courtney
Central Indiana (NE of Indianapolis)

Hi Courtney,
Your photo is of very low resolution, and when we enlarged it, the quality was further reduced.  We believe this is a pupa of a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  The family is often abbreviated as the Bycids.  Without knowing the host tree, it would be difficult to pin down a species, and some trees are host to numerous species of Borers.  A much clearer photo of a Cerambycid Pupa is posted to BugGuide.

Thanks very much for your work.  I wish our camera was better, but alas, ’tis all we have.
Sincerely,
Courtney

Letter 160 – Oak Katydid from London

 

Green thing!?
Location:  London
August 10, 2010 8:38 am
Hi there,
This thing appeared in my bathroom and has been chilling on the ceiling for the last few days, can’t for the life of me figure out what it is, seems pretty cool though, the images show it has some sort of hoop on it’s tail – I’d love to know what it is – I live in London so perhaps it’s not too exotic …
Marc

Hi Gene,
This is a Long Horned Orthopteran in the suborder Ensifera, and we believe it may be in the Cricket family Gryllidae.  We are going to contact Piotr Naskrecki, and expert in Orthopterans, to get his input.

Piotr Naskrecki responds
Hi Daniel,
This is a male of the oak katydid (or bush cricket, as they call them in the UK), Meconema thalassinum (Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae.) This species has been introduced to the US, and is now very common in New England.
Cheers,
Piotr

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the lightning fast response, very strange that I opened my bathroom door and the poor fella had died and was on the floor …
Anyway, thanks again – keep up the good work!
Marc

Letter 161 – Longhorned Bee

 

Subject: California bee?
Location: Walnut Creek CA open space.
March 9, 2016 5:46 pm
I thought when I took this picture that this was a fly, but it isn’t. Is it a native California bee? I like those antennae.
Signature: Dirk Muehlner

Dear Dirk,
This is a male Longhorned Bee in the tribe Eucerini, and we haven’t the necessary skills to taxonomically identify it further.  According to BugGuide, they are:  “Hairy bees, typically with pale hair bands on the metasoma. Males typically have very long antennae. ”  BugGuide also states:  “Nesting is in the ground for all species. Known nests are vertical burrows in flat ground.”  We have several great images on our site of “bachelor parties” which are aggregations of male Longhorned Bees that spend the night together.

Letter 162 – Longhorned Bee from Canada

 

Subject: Weird Bee
Location: LaSalle, Ontario Canada
November 19, 2015 4:38 pm
Hello, I am contacting you because in August I got a photo of this white bee with green eyes. I live in extreme south Ontario in Essex county if you want to know where I saw it. This bee was the size of a Honeybee and was calm. I could get close to it too.
Signature: ?

This is a Longhorned Bee in the tribe Eucerini, and the diversity in the tribe is well documented on BugGuide.

Letter 163 – Longhorned Bees

 

Subject: honey bees?? or wasps?
Location: detroit, michigan, u.s.a.
April 5, 2017 7:44 pm
every spring (now later march early april) i get many of the attached ?bees? all over my kid’s bright yellow slide. they also hover all over the buds of my maple trees. i used to spray to kill them and then figured if these are honey bees i don’t want to kill them all off. they have odd white noses like some wasps (bald faced wasp) but the wings look like a bee, yet the hind legs do not.
Signature: john n

Dear John,
These are neither Honey Bees nor Wasps, but they are Solitary Bees.  We are pretty confident these are male Longhorned Bees in the tribe Eucerini based on images posted to BugGuide.  Male Bees are incapable of stinging, and female Longhorned Bees are very reluctant to sting.  Since they pose no threat to your children, and since they are native pollinators, we hope you dispense with the insecticide.

Thanks so much!
I am glad I chose not to continue trying to eliminate of them this year … I originally had many problems with ants and had thought these were young queens, but this year I paused and looked closely and suspected it being a bee.
John

Letter 164 – Longhorned Bees: Bachelor Party

 

Unknown Group of Bees
Location: Portland Oregon
December 5, 2010 12:08 pm
Hi,
I took this photo about 4 years ago. I found this group of smallish bees on a dandelion. I have no idea what they were doing or why they were there. I found it very curious.
I know we have quite a variety of bees here. I also know they are not honeybees (I’m a beekeeper).
Anyway, they were quite beautiful and if you could help solve the mystery that would be fantastic.
Signature: Damian Magista

Hi Damian,
We believe these are Longhorned Bees in the family Eucerini.  BugGuide has a similar image posted that is identified as Melissodes communis.  This communal roosting behavior is not uncommon in the family, and the members of the aggregation are males, hence they are called Bachelor Parties.

Letter 165 – Longhorned Bees: Bachelor Party

 

Subject: Bee I.D. help, please!
Location: Bridgeport, CT
August 7, 2015 7:21 am
Hello! I would love your help in identifying this cluster of bees I spotted in the early morning on one of my sunflowers. Someone I asked thought they were long-horned bees. Could that be right?
Thanks!
Signature: Kate

Dear Katy,
We agree that these are male Longhorned Bees in the tribe Eucerini, and according to BugGuide, they can be identified because they are:  “Hairy bees, typically with pale hair bands on the metasoma. Males typically have very long antennae.”  Since you found them early in the morning, they probably spent the night in this aggregation that is sometimes known as a bachelor party.

Letter 166 – Longhorned Bees: Do two individuals constitute a Bachelor Party?

 

Subject:  Longhorned Bees settle in for the night
Geographic location of the bug:  Campbell, Ohio
Date: 08/01/2021
Time: 7:01 PM EDT
Gentle Readers,
The sunflowers that have grown from the fallen black oil seeds Daniel has been feeding birds when he is in Ohio have grown into landscaping.  The flowers attract a wealth of pollinators.  Last week Daniel took some images of these male Longhorned Bees settling in the for night, an activity referred to as a “Bachelor Party” and it caused Daniel to ponder if two male Longhorned Bees constitute a party.

 

Letter 167 – Longhorned Bees resting: Bachelor Party

 

Subject: sleeping bees
Location: Pinellas County Florida (Tampa Bay)
August 31, 2012 5:36 pm
Up to 20 bees sleeping on bare stems of St. Johns Wort. Might be combination of digger and long horned bees. Any help with identification is appreciated.
Signature: Ellen

Hi Ellen,
You have been observing a Bachelor Party of male Longhorned Bees in the tribe Eucerini.

Letter 168 – Longhorned Borer

 

Beetle
Hi Bugman
I have found 4 of these beetles (so far) in my bedroom, can you tell me what they are. These only started appearing after we had some Oak furniture delivered (made in China). It’s the only place I can think they came from. Should I be concerned, my wife already is.
Cheers
Bob

Hi Bob,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, but it is not the notorious Asian Longhorned Borer, Anoplophora glabripennis, that is a recent introduced exotic causing problems with native trees like maple and horse chestnut. It is possible it emerged from furniture or even firewood. We will see if Eric Eaton recognizes the species.

Letter 169 – Longhorned Borer

 

Some sort of borer beetle?
Entomology is not my subject in the least, but from what I can find, I am guessing this is a borer beetle of sorts? Any clues?
Sean

Hi Sean,
Yes, this is a Borer Beetle in the genus Enaphalodes, but we are not sure of the species. This is a new genus for our website.

Letter 170 – Longhorned Orthopteran from Australia

 

Whats this bug?
Location: Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia
April 9, 2012 11:58 am
Hiya!!
I saw this bug while doing an unguided night walk in Cape Tribulation in Queensland, Australia in November.
Signature: Travelbum

Dear Travelbum,
All we are able to discern from your photo is that this is a newly metamorphosed Longhorned Orthopteran in the suborder Ensifera.  It is hanging from the exuvia or cast off skin it shed to become a winged adult.  It might be a Katydid.  See the Brisbane Insect website for some possible species.

Letter 171 – Predatory Katydid from Jordan: Saga ephippigera

 

Subject: grasshopper
Location: Jordan Valley, Jordan
June 25, 2012 8:45 pm
I took this picture in Jordan Valley, Jordan, I think it is a grasshopper nymph, it’s around 4” (10cm) long, what is strange about it in addition of its size (for a nymph) is that it’s front and middle legs have the same thickness as its hind legs, and it’s forward body section is larger than aft body section, even though I have seen and examined many types of grasshoppers in my life, I have never seen one like this before.
Signature: Sultan Murad

Dear Sultan,
Though it looks like a Grasshopper and it is classified in the same order as Grasshoppers, this insect is actually a Longhorned Orthopteran in the suborder Ensifera.  Grasshoppers have shorter antennae.  We do not recognize the species, but we will contact Piotr Naskrecki from Harvard, an expert on Katydids, to see if he can provide a species identification for us.

Thanks to a comment from Ben in Israel, we now know that this is a Predatory Katydid, Saga ornata, and FlickRiver has a nice photo.

Correction courtesy of Piotr Naskrecki
Hi Daniel,
An impressive creature indeed. This is a male of Saga ephippigera, which I believe is considered to be one of the largest, if not the largest, Palearctic insects. These katydids are sit-and-wait predators, similar in their hunting technique to preying mantids.
Cheers,
Piotr

 

Letter 172 – Female Raspy Cricket from New South Wales, Australia

 

Subject: Hellish Grasshopper
Location: East Coast NSW, Australia
September 17, 2015 6:21 am
Dearest Mr Bugman,
I am sending you these images of a peculiar insect I discovered in my bathroom tonight. It was just smaller than my palm, and very active. As someone with limited knowledge of insects, I have decided it is a grasshopper/wasp/Satan hybrid.
We caught it in the cup pictured and released it into our backyard. Not sure how it accessed the bathroom as all of our windows and doors are closed. Perhaps he snuck up the drain?
Myself and my father are extremely curious about what this little fella is! Perhaps a locust? Please help us, Bugman!
Signature: Pharaoh

Dear Pharaoh,
This is a Long Horned Orthopteran in the suborder Ensifera, a distinctly different group from the Grasshoppers which are also Orthopterans.  We suspect this might be a female Weta, a group distinct to Australia and New Zealand, though there are relatives in South Africa and California.  Her forward curving ovipositor is very distinctive, and you probably mistook it for a stinger.  We will contact Katydid expert Piotr Naskrecki in the hope that he can provide a more conclusive identification.

Thank you so much, Daniel! That’s fascinating – I’ve never heard of them before.  I would be intrigued to find out more about this particular one. It certainly gave me a bit of a fright in the bathroom!
Kind regards

Identification Courtesy of Piotr Naskrecki
Hi Daniel,
This is a nymph of Hadrogryllacris sp. (Gryllacrididae), not a weta (there are no true wetas in Australia) but a raspy cricket. The ovipositor is curved over the body in nymphs of raspy crickets to help them move backwards in shelters that they make of rolled up leaves. After the final molt the ovipositor becomes straight.
Cheers,
Piotr

Letter 173 – Longicorn

 

1st Ever Longicorn Beetle (Sawyer?) Sighting
Location: SE Michigan
July 5, 2011 5:48 am
Dear Bugman; Yesterday, I almost squashed this beetle by accident, when I went to turn on the outdoor faucet. I was so surprised to see that it was a Longicorn beetle–I had never seen one before! (And the only reason I knew what it was in the first place, was from photos posted on your site.)
I ran into the house and grabbed my camera before it disappeared.
It was quite calm, rather slow moving and allowed me to take many photos, as it rested on an aborvitae branch.
I am not sure, but I think it is a White Spotted Sawyer. Can’t get over the eyes, which wrap around the base of it’s antennae. He/she looks like a little alien from the profile.
Signature: Christine

Hi Christine,
Though we don’t know the identity of your Longicorn, we can say that it is NOT a White Spotted Sawyer.  We will enlist some expert advice and update this posting when we get an identity.

 

 

 

 

 

Eric Eaton provides an identification
Nice!  This would appear to be a specimen of Goes pulverulentus which is not that commonly seen.  It would be a Bugguide record if the person would agree to post it there.  Great find!
Eric

Dear Daniel and Eric:  Wow!  Thanks so much for determining  that this Longicorn is not what I thought it might be.  It was so exciting to read that this beetle is not all that common.  (COOL!)  Glad I was able to snap some clear photos of it.  Please feel free to use/post my pics. of this little guy as needed.  If Bugguide  would like to post it, they are also welcome to use the photos.  I have several more good shots of this beetle from other angles—dorsal view, side close-up, if anyone would like them for better identification, or explanation purposes. ( I’m now going to look up Goes pulverulentus, to learn more about this intriguing beetle.)

 

Letter 174 – Banded Hickory Borer

 

Subject: Have never seen a beetle like this here before
Location: Shreveport, la
March 25, 2014 8:07 am
1 1/4″ body green with two yellow spots on back. Found this bug outside of my apartment in Louisiana.
Signature: J A Bendish

Dear J A Bendish,
You have attached a photo of a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we will attempt to identify the species for you.  Our confusion is that the brown beetle in the photo does not match your description of “body green with two yellow spots on back” and we are wondering if perhaps you attached the wrong image.

Eric Eaton provides an identification
Hi, Daniel:
Nice beetle!  It is probably the Banded Hickory Borer, Knulliana cincta, which sometimes lacks the “bands.”  Here’s more:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/6804
It emerges early, too, so that puts it at the top of the suspect list.
Eric

Letter 175 – Tanbark Borer, we believe

 

Subject: Looks kind of like a firefly
Location: New Jersey
May 25, 2015 4:56 pm
Rescued this bug from a pool after it flew in, but I don’t think it’s a firefly. I did some googling but I haven’t found anything quite like it. Thanks for your time!
Signature: David

Dear David,
This is a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we believe its dramatic coloration, especially the red thorax, and its spring emergence should make it relatively easy to identify.  We were wrong and for now it is running unidentified.
P.S.  We are tagging you as a Bug Humanitarian.

Update:  May 26, 2015
We used Arthur V. Evans book, Beetles of Eastern North America, where we found a similar looking Phymatodes amoenus pictured, and that led us to the related Tanbark Borer, Phymatodes testaceus, on BugGuide.  According to BugGuide, it is:  “native to Eurasia; widely established around the world, incl. e. US and, more recently, in the Pacific Northwest” and it feeds on Oaks with the larvae boring in the wood.  According to NatureSpot:  “The adults are active nocturnally and will come to light but are rarely seen otherwise under normal circumstances.”  Seems like you were tagged with the Bug Humanitarian Award for rescuing an Invasive Exotic species, another tag on our site.

Letter 176 – Longicorn: Graphisurus fasciatus

 

Subject: Longhorns Beetle?
Location: Panhandle, Florida
April 29, 2017 8:48 am
This little critter came near me today. Before I removed myself from its environment, I snapped this picture. What has me stumped is the very pointy piece located opposite of its head. Stinger? A pregnant female? Not a beetle?
Signature: Living in the humid country south

You are correct that this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We believe we have correctly identified it as Graphisurus fasciatus thanks to this BugGuide image.  According to BugGuide, larval hosts are: “numerous hardwoods, also pine.”  What you have mistaken for a stinger is actually an ovipositor, an organ a female insect uses to lay eggs.

Letter 177 – Long-Jawed Longhorn Beetle

 

Subject: Vertical flyer?
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
June 30, 2017 6:19 am
This insect seemed to glide down with his antennae upwards, appearing vertical. He landed and crawled around a bit. Never seen one like this. What is it?
Signature: KS

Dear KS,
After delving through postings on BugGuide, we were able to identify your Long-jawed Longhorn Beetle, Trachyderes mandibularis.  According to BugGuide:  “Males have particularly long mandibles.”

Letter 178 – Oak Borer

 

Subject:  Strange beetle
Geographic location of the bug:  Houston, Texas
Date: 05/31/2018
Time: 03:00 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found this guy in my kitchen late at night and I can’t find it on google. It’s driving me INSANE please help!
How you want your letter signed:  Tiffany

Dear Tiffany,
We are still working on a species identity for you, but we can tell you this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and it reminds us of a Flat-Faced Longhorn in the subfamily Lamiinae, which is well represented on BugGuide.  The piebald pattern on your beetle is quite distinctive.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide some assistance.

Update:  Thanks to a comment from Cesar Crash with a link to BugGuide, we agree that this is an Oak Borer, Enaphalodes taeniatus.

Letter 179 – Longicorn: Neoclytus mucronatus

 

Subject:  What is this?
Geographic location of the bug:  Winston-Salem, NC
Date: 09/06/2019
Time: 03:11 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  These photos were taken on 07/31/19 in the parking lot of a suburban park. The body of the insect shown was about 1 inch long.
How you want your letter signed:  Amanda T.

Dear Amanda,
This is a Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the genus Neoclytus, and it has no common name.  We believe we have correctly identified it as Neoclytus mucronatus thanks to this image on BugGuide.  It is one of the species that mimics a stinging wasp like a Paper Wasp for protection as the beetle does not sting, but potential predators are put off by the warning colors.

Thanks for the swift response! I’m glad you were able to ID this for me. The markings on the wing casings kept me from seeing that it was any kind of beetle. I guess mimicry works to fool amateur entomologists too.
-AT

Letter 180 – Longicorn: Acanthocinus obsoletus

 

Subject: What is This Bug?
Location: Melbourne, FL
June 23, 2017 5:49 am
Hello,
I saw this bug while working this morning, June 23rd in Melbourne, FL. His antennae are so long and is very interesting looking. I tried looking him up online but couldn’t find a similar picture. I was wondering if you had any information as I could not find any.
Thank you,
Elizabeth Merritt
Signature: Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth,
Thanks to Arthur Evans’ book Beetles of Eastern North America and BugGuide, we were able to identify your Longicorn as Acanthocinus obsoletus.  According to BugGuide they feed on:  “Bark of dead or dying pine.”

Letter 181 – Longicorn from Argentina: Retrachydes thoracicus

 

Subject: Roach or beetle from Buenos Aires City
Location: Buenos Aires City
January 22, 2016 2:16 pm
Was walking to the store for groceries and observed this guy. Never seen one like him, weird bugs are uncommon here. What is it?
Signature: Gabriel

Dear Gabriel,
We are quite certain that if you looked a bit more closely, you would find many “weird bugs” in Buenos Aires.  This is a Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle from the family Cerambycidae, and we quickly identified it as Retrachydes thoracicus on the Insectos de Argentina y del Mundo site.  Cerambycoidea.com indicates the species is found in:  “Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina.”  BioLib has an excellent image of a pinned specimen and Meloidae.com has several nice images of living individuals.  Beetles in the Bush indicates:  “Of course, it is a species of longhorned beetle (family Cerambycidae) that apparently is found commonly in South America.” 

Letter 182 – Longicorn from Australia: Agrianome spinicollis

 

Subject: found this guy on my veranda on his back so i flipped him over, what is it?
Location: my backyard, australia, queensland
November 18, 2016 4:52 am
i just wanna know if its poisonous or some kind of cockroach? not going to kill it but i did want to pick it up, but i’m scared lol! biggest beetle looking bug i’be ever seen!
Signature: Kyla Marshall

Dear Kyla,
This Prionid Beetle or Longicorn, is neither poisonous, nor is it a Cockroach.  At first we thought it was a Banksia Longicorn, but we realized that we have a misidentification in our archives.  We now believe both your beetle and the one in our archives is Agrianome spinicollis based on this image from BioLib, this image from Prioninae of the World and this image from the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery.  Though it is not poisonous, it does have very powerful mandibles and it might deliver a painful bite if carelessly handled.

Letter 183 – Longicorn from Australia: Toxeutes macleayi

 

Subject: Weird beetle?
Location: North Brisbane, Australia
November 25, 2016 3:38 am
Hi. I found this weird beetle thing on my bedroom floor today and freaked out thinking it was a cockroach. But I noticed the mandibles and now I’m confused. It’s about 4cm long.
Signature: Ellie

Dear Ellie,
The mandibles on this Longicorn are quite impressive.  We are pretty confident we have correctly identified it as Toxeutes macleayi thanks to images on Atlas of Living Australia and Prioninae of the World.

Letter 184 – Longicorn from Baja California, Mexico

 

Subject: Beautiful bug!
Location: Las Barracas, B.C.S. Mexico
November 27, 2013 3:59 pm
Hi Mr. Bugman,
This beautiful bug was on the ledge of my kitchen window several nights ago. I was fascinated by his front feet which looked feathery or as if he was wearing furry gloves. I am located in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Thanks for any info. you can provide.
Signature: Bajabirdbrain

Dear Bajabirdbrain,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we are relatively certain it is is the subfamily Lamiinae. We tried searching BugGuide, but we could not find a conclusive match.  We will continue to try to identify the species for you.  Your individual looks similar to Acanthoderes giesberti from Cerambycidae Species Details, so we suspect it might be a close relative.  We will seek out an additional opinion.  We simply cannot resist posting identification requests with such positive subject lines like your “Beautiful bug!” subject and we agree with you fully that this Longicorn is a comely specimen.

Letter 185 – Unusual coloration on Solitary Black Bycid

 

Subject: Big beetle
Location: Denver City, TX
August 3, 2014 6:23 pm
Hi I thought this was some longhorn beetle but I can’t find one colored like this! It was found outside my home in Denver City, TX.
Signature: JoLynn

Dear JoLynn,
You are correct that this is a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, but we do not recognize the species.  We will post your image and hopefully get some input from our readers.  We will also contact Eric Eaton to see if he recognizes this lovely red bycid.

Cool!! Thank you!!! Can’t wait to hear what exactly it is!! We have lives here 4 years (in 38 acres) and have never seen one!
JoLynn

Longicorns are often very host specific.  Can you provide the names of the most common trees on your property?

Eric Eaton provides an identification
Daniel:
This is an unusual color form of Stenaspis solitaria.  Most specimens are completely black!  Texas has some populations that look like the one in the image here.
Eric

Ed. Note:
According to BugGuide:  “They love to fly around on hot days. Not common in so. TX but somewhat common in the Big Bend area and extremely common in so. AZ (Dan Heffern, pers. comm.)”

Letter 186 – Longicorn Beetle from Mexico: Callipogon senex

 

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

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.

Letter 187 – Longicorn from Brazil

 

Subject: Large black bug in North Brazil
Location: North Brazil
February 24, 2014 5:19 am
Hello! I am really struggling to find out what species of beetle I have seen. It was very large (the size of my palm) but isn’t a titan beetle. It was black with very long antennae and sharp mandibles which the guide said was used to cut through wood, and it made a horrendous noise when it was picked up.
Here’s hoping you can help!
Signature: Poppy

these images are too tiny and the detail is too poor to provide species information.  Do you have larger files?

Only the two attached I’m afraid – it’s really low res!
Sorry!
Poppy Riddle

Hey,
Might it be a type of root borer beetle? My friend has sent me some better res images of it!

Hi Again Poppy,
Thanks for sending the much better resolution images.  This is definitely a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we are also confident that it is in the subfamily Prioninae, the Root Borers.  We are creating a posting and we will attempt a species identification, however, this will need to wait until later as we must dash off to work.

Thank-you! I think the fact it was found in Northern Brazil keeps throwing me. I don’t know of any that look like that in that area?
Poppy

Hi again Poppy,
It looks like it might be a male Ctenoscelis acanthopus which is pictured on the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery and on Insects and More.

 

 

Letter 188 – Longicorn from Brazil: Steirastoma brevis

 

Subject: An strange at home
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
December 21, 2013 9:14 pm
I found this insect on the wall of the house. I was very curious about your species!
Thank you!
Signature: Claudio

Hi Claudio,
This is a Longicorn or Capricorn Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  We decided to search for its identity in a marvelous coffee table book given to us by Monika that is called Living Jewels, and we found a matching photo of Steirastoma brevis, however, searching for that name on the internet did not produce any images of beetles with the bold black and yellow pattern of your beetle.  Our first hit online was an image of a postage stamp from Argentina on a site with Cerambycid stamps, but again, the color is not as bold as your individual.  You need to scroll down the page to find the alphabetized scientific name.  We then located an image on the Living Jewels site from the same page as our Living Jewels book image, but it is another member of the same genus, and we would not entirely discount that your beetle might be Steirastoma marmoratus.  A pale specimen is picture on Insect Life Forms.  Again, the colors are not as bright, and the spelling is different, but Steirastoma breve is pictured on BioLib.  Our favorite bit of information we found was of a fashion design blogger identified only as 1080741630 who was inspired to design a fabric print based on the markings of the beetle.  Scroll down to view the citation which reproduces the pattern but does not include an image of the beetle.  The blogger writes:  “I studied the beetle Steirastoma brevis for the brief ‘colour and patterns in wildlife’ experimenting with colour, texture and pattern. By contacting different fabric suppliers in New york, Paris and London, i was able to decide what fabric was best suited to my brief. From here I decided on marino wool for felting as the bold colour was so effective.”  We believe we have the genus identification correct, but the species name remains in question.  Perhaps Cesar Crash or one of our other readers will be able to provide additional information.

  

Letter 189 – Longicorn from British Virgin Islands: Lagocheirus guadeloupensis

 

Subject:  Hurricane Irma changed this bugs range?
Geographic location of the bug:  Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Date: 03/19/2018
Time: 09:36 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  In 25 years of visiting here, I never saw this bug before.  Now, after hurricane Irma, I see two or three every night. They are attracted to artificial light, and do not move much during the night.  The geckos and anole lizards leave them alone.  It is about an inch long.    I would be grateful for your identification, and your opinion about the idea that the hurricane could have altered their range, or even introduced them to this island. Thank you.
How you want your letter signed:  RD

Dear RD,
This is a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we are pretty certain it is a Flat-Faced Longhorn in the subfamily Lamiinae.  We were not able to match your individual (the angle on the image might make identification difficult as a straight dorsal shot would be better) to any of the mounted specimens pictured on Cerambycidae de las Antillas, but we did find a reference to Monochamus titillator, the Southern Pine Sawyer being found in the Bahamas in Tropical Zoology. and BugGuide lists the range as “e. US / Bahamas.”  For now, we will leave the species as unidentified.  Now, regarding its sudden, recent appearance, we don’t believe large numbers of this wood boring species would have been transported by Hurricane Irma.  We suspect many trees were downed during the winds.  If the wood was not cleared away, it would have provided a food source and it could possibly have resulted in a population explosion of a normally innocuous species.  This unidentified species from the Caribbean on FlickR looks very similar to your individual.

Update:  March 30, 2018
We just received a new submission and now we are somewhat confident that this individual as well as the new submission are both Lagocheirus guadeloupensis which is pictured on the Cerambycidae de las Antillas site, and we apologize for missing it originally.

Letter 190 – Longicorn from California is Synaphaeta guexi

 

Subject: What type of longhorn beetle is this
Location: Northern California
March 26, 2014 10:30 pm
Snapped this pic while feeding the horses. Near a creek with mostly cottonwoods and willows. Located about 80 miles North of Sacramento CA. No one around here seems to know what it is…I’ve never seen one either.
Signature: Susan

Hi Susan,
Your Longicorn is Synaphaeta guexi, and we get one or two requests each year from California to identify this lovely beetle.

Thank you so much for your reply!  I too thought it very beautiful.
Susan

Letter 191 – Longicorn Chlorida festiva with Phoretic Mites from Barbados

 

Subject: Green Longhorn Beetle from Barbados
Location: Barbados, Caribbean
April 21, 2014 9:50 pm
Hi, This green longhorn beetle (looks like Chlorida festiva) flew into my room to get its picture taken last night. First time I’m seeing one of these and it was about 4cm (body) long. I also noticed what looks to be mites on its ‘neck’ area, can you confirm this? Thought it would be a nice addition to your collection.
Signature: Niaz

Hi Niaz,
We agree that you have correctly identified your Longicorn as Chlorida festiva, but in searching for an image online for a link, we stumbled upon this Superstock image of Chlorida festiva with Phoretic Mites identified as Histiogaster arborsignis.  Phoretic Mites do not prey upon the Longicorns, but rather use them to move from location to location.  Back to the Longicorn, according to American Insects:  “Linnaeus described this large and striking species in 1758. It can be found in the West Indies, and from Mexico south to Argentina.”  Your images are gorgeous.

 

 

Letter 192 – Longicorn from Costa Rica

 

Subject: Beetle Identification
Location: Costa Rica, near Jaco, Pacific Coast
November 9, 2016 7:55 am
I took this picture in Costa Rica in December. I have looked in vain for an ID for this beetle. Can you help? Thank you very much for looking at this!
Signature: Trudy

Dear Trudy,
Your truly impressive beetle is a Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and because of its resemblance to the Ivory Marked Beetle, Eburia quadrigeminata, which is pictured on BugGuide, we suspect it may be in the same genus.  Since we must dash off this morning, perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide us with a species identification.

Update:  We returned back to the office and we are very confident that this is Eburodacrys triocellata, a member of the same tribe Eburiini, as the Ivory Marked Beetle, and which we identified on the New World Cerambycidae Catalog.

Identification courtesy of Karl
Hello Daniel and Trudy:
Your longicorn is very closely related to Eburia quadrigeminata, but the species is probably Eburodacrys triocellata (formerly E. mexicana).  Here is another link to a specimen photographed in Honduras. Regards, Karl

Letter 193 – Longicorn from Costa Rica

 

Subject: Beetle Id?
Location: Osa de Costa Rica
March 30, 2017 8:00 am
Collected this beetle in Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica. I do believe that it’s a wood borer ( Cerambycidae )
Can you tell me more?
Signature: charles limmer

Dear Charles,
This is indeed a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We attempted to search the name written on the piece of paper, Callipogon lemoinei, and we agree with your identification based on images posted to The New World Cerambycidae Catalog.

Letter 194 – Longicorn from Costa Rica: Plagiohammus pollinosus

 

Subject: Yellow Cerambycidae from Costa Rica
Location: Monteverde, Costa Rica
August 7, 2016 12:54 pm
Hi again,
I feel I should have been able to ID this one on my one, but I haven’t managed to find it online.
I saw this Cerambyicid in Monteverde, Costa Rica, at night, on June 27, 2011.
It was a sizable insect, and if memory serves, its body was probably about 5 centimeters long. The antenna were spectacularly long.
Thanks in advance.
Signature: Thibaud Aronson

Hi again Thibaud,
As long as you keep providing our site with rare sightings, keep them coming.  We began this Longicorn identification search with the “CERAMBYCOIDEA” DE COSTA RICA site, starting with the subfamily Lamiinae page where we eventually located Plagiohammus pollinosus on the Cerambycidae Species Details page, but there were only images of mounted specimens.  We continued to find images of mounted specimens on Cerambycoidea Forum and eBay where a female of the species is listed as “rare.”  For a brief moment, we entertained the thought that you might be providing us with the opportunity to be the only site with an image of a living specimen, until we found this individual on Project Noah.  Thanks for your marvelous additions to our archives, by providing us with two new species for our site.

Wow, thanks again!
I’m glad I’m submitting species you haven’t got yet, and all the more impressed at how quickly you identify them!
I’ll send a couple others your way tomorrow.
Cheers
Thibaud

 

Letter 195 – Longicorn from Cyprus

 

Subject: Cyprus Longhorn Beetle Cerambycidae Certallum ebulinum ruficolle Fabricius…?
Location: Nicosia (Leftkoşa), Cyprus
February 22, 2014 5:10 am
Hello Daniel, I think I have this one pegged (so to speak). I was detoured by the tanbark borer but it was not quite right so I kept looking, finally coming up with Longhorn Beetle Cerambycidae Certallum ebulinum ruficolle Fabricius (but not sure all those designations are needed because I do not know what they all mean…).
Is this a Capricorn beetle? If so it would be even more nifty as the Mouflon is the moutain goat (ibex) that is featured on the Cypriot euro coins.
Thanks!
Signature: Curious Girl

Hi Curious Girl,
Using the name you provided, we found a nearly identical image on a Cyrillic language Coleoptera page and an image of a mating pair on Biolib.  Regarding the name, Cyrambycidae is the name for the family.  The next three words are the taxonomic name for the genus, species and subspecies.  Fabricius is the authority credited with first publishing the name, and that should be followed by a year, which in the case of this beetle is 1781.  Longicorns are often called Capricorns, but we personally generally reserve that for larger species.

Letter 196 – Longicorn from Dominican Republic: Trachyderes succinctus we believe

 

Subject: What is this and how damaging is it to my garden
Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
January 26, 2014 6:24 pm
We live in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and I keep finding this beetle on the Corn. I have not seen them on any other plants so far. I am hoping it is not detrimental to our garden and would like to know how to get rid of them.
Signature: Julie Holl

Longhorned borer beetle in family Cerambycidae.  Too blurry to identify the species for certain.

Thank you. I will try to get a better photo, but I seem to have wasps hanging out in the corn also. Do they damage the corn?

Wasps might be hunting for caterpillars and we doubt they are damaging the corn.  We decided to take a second look at your Longicorn, and we found a posting in our archives of Trachyderes succinctus that shows the black and red striped antennae as well as the body markings that are shared with your individual.  A second posting in our archive of Trachyderes succinctus from the Virgin Islands includes this observation by the person who submitted the images:  “It likes rotting fruit but absolutely loves to go after young corn. It nibbles away at the base of the ear, leaving a blackish goo and killing the ear. It decimated my back yard corn crop a couple of years ago and I have not been able to replant successfully since.”

Thank you so much….

Letter 197 – Longicorn feeding on Pecan Tree in Florida

 

Subject: Beetle in Pecan Tree
Location: Orlando, Florida
May 27, 2014 6:53 pm
I found this beetle in our old Pecan tree that has been on it’s down side for a few years now. There are at least 4 dozen holes around the bottom of the tree extending upwards 6-7 feet. The beetle does not like sunlight and does not like light from a bulb flashlight but is ok with an LED flashlight.
The antennas are long, 2″ or so and the pincers are black and hard. When I tapped the antenna of one with a piece of paper it went back into the hole and folded back it’s antenna then came forward with it’s pincers. When I touched the pincers with the paper it grabbed it and gave it a tug as if to take it into the hole.
Signature: Don_S

Dear Don,
We probably cannot determine an exact species based on your image, however, your detailed description indicates that this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  Larvae are wood borers, and often spend several years feeding on wood prior to emerging as adult, winged beetles.  Longicorns are not general feeders, and each species has a single or several preferred host plants, and most do not infest healthy trees.  Your letter indicates this tree has been in decline, and that is likely the reason that wood boring insects have begun to feed on it.  Your description and image indicates that this is an adult beetle and it should soon be exiting through the hole it bored to the surface.  Once they leave the larval burrow, they will not return, though we would not discount the possibility that a female might enter a hole to lay her eggs.  Based on knowing the host plant is a pecan tree, we will attempt an identification, but if you really want a species identification, we would suggest that you capture a beetle and provide us with a dorsal view. The Texas A&M University Entomology site’s Insect Pests Attacking Pecan in the US page lists 15 Longicorns that feed on the wood of pecan trees.

Hello Daniel,
Thank you for your reply. It was difficult to get a good picture so I’m happy the description helped.
Is there any action that we should take to eliminate the beetle before we have the tree remove?
Thank you in advance,
Don Schenck

You can leave the cut wood on site and allow the beetles to develop.

Letter 198 – Longicorn from France is Chlorophorus glabromaculatus

 

Subject: What’s my bug?
Location: Poitiers, France
August 6, 2017 8:55 am
Hello,
An interrsting looking bug landed on our table and we’d love to know what it is.
It has six legs, yellow in colour with 6 black spots in three rows of two down the back. Around 3/4 of an inch long, we found it in central France.
Thanks!
Signature: Andrew

Dear
We quickly found your Longicorn beetle represented on Alamy where it is identified as Chlorophanus pilosus.  According to the Cerambycidae site where the alternate name Chlorophorus glabromaculatus is used, the distribution is:  “South of Central Europe, South and South-Eastern Europe, North Africa.”  There are also several images posted to Aramel.free.fr.  The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists it as a species of “Least Concern.”

Letter 199 – Longicorn from Arizona: Megacyllene antennata

 

Subject:  Bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Eastern Arizona
Date: 09/20/2021
Time: 11:16 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Found this bug can you help?
How you want your letter signed:  Mr.Shannon Meehl

Dear Mr. Shannon Meehl,
We recieved an image of this species of Longicorn back in 2016 and Eric Eaton helped us identify it as Megacyllene antennata. According to BugGuide it feeds on “mesquite (and catclaw?).”  We cannot say for certain why it was attracted to a Cannabis plant, but we will be sure to tag it to include it with other insects found on marijuana.

Letter 200 – Longicorn from Baja

 

Subject: Los Cabo’s Mexico bug
Location: Los Cabos, Mexico
January 11, 2017 11:31 pm
Hi- we are visiting a Cabo resort on the water in January 2017. Returned to our hotel room to find a new companion on our wall. Quite beautiful and impressively large, the length of its body alone is about the diameter of a half dollar coin. Took the photo attached. It reminds of shield bugs we used to see in the midwestern US. We are assuming it is harmless and are allowing it to enjoy its spot on the wall. Are we correct to assume we have no reason to be concerned about its being nearby? We would love to know its proper identification. Thanks so much.
Signature: Pat and David RWC CA

Dear Pat and David,
This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  Members of this family are not considered dangerous, but they do have powerful mandibles and they might deliver a painful bite if carelessly handled.  We have a posting in our archives, also from Baja, that appears to be the same species, and we tentatively identified it as Acanthoderes giesberti.  We will contact Arthur Evans, a beetle specialist, to see if he can provide a species identification.

Ed Note:  Arthur Evans referred our question to Steve Lingafelter who provided the following identification.  Here is the BugGuide page on the genus Lagocheirus.

Hi all,
This is Lagocheirus sp. (probably araneiformis ypsilon).
Cheers,
Steve

Letter 201 – Longicorn from Belize

 

Subject: Unidentified Longhorn Beetle
Location: San Jose Succotz, Belize
May 27, 2015 4:26 am
We have taken this foto of we believe is a longhorn beetle in San Jose Succotz, Belize
But we are not able to indentify it.
Thks for your support.
Signature: Dries Nys, Dallas Texas

Dear Dries Nys,
You are correct that this is a Longicorn, but unfortunately, we are pressed for time this morning and cannot research its species identity at this time.  Perhaps one of our readers will supply a comment today.

Letter 202 – Longicorn from Brazil

 

Subject: Mysterious blue bug
Location: Brazil
November 1, 2016 2:24 pm
I have looked all over the Internet to find out what kind of bug this is but I can’t seem to find it. Please help!
Signature: Jihad Shaheen

Dear Jihad,
This beautiful Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae is Compsocerus violaceus.

Letter 203 – Longicorn from China: Batocera species

 

Long-horned Beetle from China
Location:  Shanghai, China
July 20, 2010 11:31 am
Hi,
This is a beetle that we saw in a park in the Shanghai, China area in June. From your website, I see it is a long-horned beetle, and by checking a webite you had recommended to someone else, I have narrowed it down to batocera rufomaculata. But, when I do a search for images online, it brings up mostly pictures of insects with some red markings, of which this has none. So, I’m wondering if I have the correct identification?
Linda Walsh

Hi Linda,
We agree with your genus identification of Batocera, however, when we posted an image of mating beetles in the genus Batocera from China back in 2009, our frequent contributor Karl provided information on the two species that range in China:  “There are several similar looking species in Asia, but as far as I can tell only B. davidis and B. rubus occur in China.”  There is often individual variation in the coloration of insect species.

Letter 204 – Longicorn from Colombia

 

Subject:  Two bugs in one day! :0
Geographic location of the bug:  Colombia, South America.
Date: 11/10/2017
Time: 05:54 PM EDT
Hey! So I was just laying in my bed (I live in a house on a hill) and this two bugs just came flying. I tried so hard to identify them but really couldn’t!
The first two pictures’ bug was like medium size and I identified as a Ivory Marked Beetle, but most pictures I saw just didn’t seemed alike.
The second one I have no idea at all lol. It was really small and, as you may see in the picture, has like a little green “drawing” on its back.
How you want your letter signed:  Dead curious, Daniel!

Dear Daniel,
Your first insect does indeed resemble the North American Ivory Marked Beetle, and we started our searching based on the assumption that your individual is most likely a member of the same tribe of Longicorns, Eburiini.  Most members of this tribe pictured on A Photographic Catalog of the Cerambycidae of the World have two white spots per elytra or wing cover.  Your individual appears closest to Eburodacrys prolixa which we found on A Photographic Catalog of the Cerambycidae of the World. The genus and species is also pictured on Alchetron.  We are uncertain of the identity of your other insect, but a better quality image would help.

Letter 205 – Longicorn from Colombia: Probably Trachyderes hermani

 

Subject:  South America Longhorns bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Abejorral, Colombia
Date: 06/11/2018
Time: 12:06 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found this bug on the front of my car in the middle of a plantation of avocado.
How you want your letter signed:  Claudia

Dear Claudia,
We believe we have identified your Longicorn as Trachyderes succinctus thanks to images on iNaturalist and Cerambycoidea.  According to iNaturalist:  “This species is present in Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragus, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Bolivia and Antilles.” 

Update:  Thanks to an update from Cesar Crash, we believe Trachyderes hermani which is pictured on the New World Cerambycidae Catalog is a better species identification.

Letter 206 – Longicorn from Ecuador

 

Subject: Ecuador cloud forest bugs
Location: mindo, ecuador
March 15, 2015 8:39 am
Both of these were found on the same morning in my house.. Any clues as to ID?
Signature: PB

Dear PB,
Now that we have correctly identified your moth, we can concentrate on the Longicorn, a beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  It reminds us greatly of a Longicorn from Barbados we identified as Chlorida festiva that ranges from Central America to Argentina as well as many islands, but the coloration and pattern of the thorax is different.  We believe we have correctly identified your beetle as another member of the same genus, Chlorida cincta, which we found on the Cerambycidae Genus website.  We located another image on BioLib, and that individual is from Costa Rica.  Chlorida cincta is listed on Cerambycidae de Colombia, so it stands to reason it might also be found in Ecuador.

Letter 207 – Longicorn from France

 

Orange bug
Location:  Brittany, Northern France
August 14, 2010 10:42 am
This bug crawled out of a woodpile. The nearest I can get to it with my identification book is the cardinal beetle, pyrochroa occinea, but this one has orange lower legs and the wing covers (elytra) are a different shape.
Thanks for your help!
Permaculture in Brittany

Dear Permaculture in Brittany,
We were not familiar with the Cardinal Beetle, so we researched it.  It is a Fire Colored Beetle in the family Pyrochroidae.  Your beetle is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the Family Cerambycidae.  We located a website of Longicorns from France, and we believe your beetle is Corymbia rubra.  The following information is provided in the Lepturinae subfamily page:  “Vit sur troncs abattus de conifères, saules et fleurs, visible d’Avril à Juillet  La femelle est plus grande que le mâle qui a un pronotum noir  Larves dans les troncs de conifères morts   Tribue des Lepturini” but alas, we do not speak French, but perhaps our website’s translation feature will crack the code.  The Garden Safari website discusses the sexual dimorphism of the species, and that indicates the coloration of your specimen makes her female.  The Garden Safari indicates:  “With the majority of beetle species the male and the female are almost identical. In a few exceptions, however, there are striking differences between the two genders. This is the case with Corymbia rubra, a species quite common on flowers in the gardens. The male is slender, brownish and has a black neck shield. It seldomly reaches a length of over 15 mm. The female is bigger and more plump, reaching some 20 mm in length regularly. Her body is reddish, including the neck shield. Actually they do look like two completely different species! This particular species is very rare in the UK because the plants the larvae feed on are not indigenous in Britain. It is still often referred to by either of its former scientific names Leptura rubra or Stictoleptura rubra.”

Very many thanks for your comprehensive reply, Daniel.  I’ve posted your help on our blog  http://permacultureinbrittany.blogspot.com/ .  I’m getting more interested in beetles, especially dung beetles with regard to pasture improvement, so shall keep visiting your site but not bothering you too often with questions.  I might treat myself to your book when it’s published too.
Best wishes,
Stuart and Gabrielle

Hi Stuart and Gabrielle,
We peeked at your blog, and your grounds made us a bit envious as it compares to our own tiny plot in Los Angeles with its three young chickens (anticipating the first eggs), vegetable patch and compost pile.

Letter 208 – Longicorn from Guatemala

 

Subject:  Callipogon Barbatus
Geographic location of the bug:  Lake Amatitlan, Guatemala. C.A.
Date: 06/20/2018
Time: 10:31 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hello,
I got to your wonderful site doing a Google Image Search of a bug we found inside our house. We live waterfront on Lake Amatitlan, about 18 miles (by road) from downtown Guatemala City. I just wanted to share the pictures with you, perhaps you want to use them. Thanks for helping me identify this beetle.
How you want your letter signed:  Manuel Ralda

Dear Manuel,
Thanks for sending in your wonderful images of what does appear to be Callipogon barbatus.

Letter 209 – Longicorn from Honduras

 

Longhorn Beatle
May 4, 2010
This fellow (or gal) was on our front screen this morning. I’ve looked through the Longhorn picture database, and can’t find one just like it, so I thought I would drop a line. Thanks
brad
Balfate, Honduras (North Coast)

Hi Brad,
Amazingly, we quickly identified your Longhorn as Neoptychodes trilineatus on BugGuide.  BugGuide notes:  “Primarily Caribbean and Neotropical in distribution, but gets into southwestern and extreme southeastern U.S.”  and “Although Ficus is the primary host, larvae also develop in Alnus, Morus, Salix, Celtis.”

Thanks very much.  You guys are great.  I’ve got to get better at using the Bug Guide.
brad

Letter 210 – Longicorn from India: Olenecamptus bilobus

 

Subject: long horn bug
Location: goa, india
December 2, 2016 11:15 pm
kindly id this bug please. thanks.
Signature: rastaPoPoy

Dear rastaPoPoy,
The only matching image we were able to locate is this Indian Longicorn from our own archives, and eight years ago, Karl wrote in suspecting it to be in the genus Batocera, though unfortunately the link Karl provided does not seem to be active any longer.  We will continue to search for a genus or species verification on your lovely Longicorn.

Correction courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and rastaPoPoy:
It looks like this longicorn and the one from your archives are indeed the same species. Although I previously suggested that it might be a species of Batocera, it seems I was on the wrong track. In checking again I am now going to suggest that this lovely beetle is Olenecamptus bilobus (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Dorcaschematini). The species is widely distributed throughout Asia and Melanesia, and comes in a variety of colour variations. Two  subspecies occur in India; O. bilobus bilobus and O. bilobus indianus. The two subspecies are quite similar and your two postings could belong to either one. Here are some additional images from Assam and the Seychelles.  Regards  Karl

Letter 211 – Longicorn from India

 

Subject:  Weird beetle with long antennae
Geographic location of the bug:  Kochi,Kerala , India
This was seen in our garden two weeks ago and again, no idea what it is. Could you name it?
How you want your letter signed:  Kiran

Hello again Kiran,
The best we can do at this time with this identification is to provide a family.  This is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, but we are not certain of the species.

 

Letter 212 – Longicorn from India

 

Subject:  Some type of longhorned beetle, which one?
Geographic location of the bug:  Bangalore, India
Date: 10/21/2017
Time: 01:19 PM EDT
Greetings Bugman!
I found this fellow, dead under a Ficus Religiosa, in Bangalore, India. Actually, I visit this tree, post lunch everyday. I had noticed this on the branches, often.
The images are on Google drive:  https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B06-CTLQ5A2UellYdjB0dHo1SzA
How you want your letter signed:  Naveen

Dear Naveen,
This is truly an impressive Longicorn, and its antennae are amazing.  We did not find anything similar on Prioninae of the World, but we might have missed it.  We will continue to attempt a species identification for you.

Update:  Cesar Crash of Insetologia sent a comment that identifies this beautiful male Longicorn as being in the genus Neocerambyx, and this image of Neocerambyx paris on Cerambycoidea Forum looks very similar.

Letter 213 – Longicorn from Israel

 

Asphodel longicorn?
February 14, 2010
Hi Bug People!
I found this longicorn beetle on some Common Asphodel flowers on Friday, Feb 12th, in the northwest Negev, Israel.
I saw a few of them during the day, but only on the asphodels.
Some research led me to believe this is Agapanthia pustulifera.
I also found a true bug on the asphodels, which I will send in a separate mail.
Ben
Northwestern Negev, Israel

Hi Ben,
You have saved us the effort of identifying your Longicorn.  We found a photo of Agapanthia pustulifera on BioLib, and we agree that it matches your beetle.

Letter 214 – Longicorn from Italy

 

Subject: id please?
Location: bologna, italy
September 12, 2016 5:27 am
Hi, a friend saw this bug and would like to identify it.
Signature: alexa

Our Automated Response
Thank you for submitting your identification request.
Please understand that we have a very small staff that does this as a labor of love. We cannot answer all submissions (not by a long shot). But we’ll do the best we can!

I understand, no problem.  it looks like a kind of wood boring beetle but I can’t find any information on native Italian species.
many thanks and love your site!
alexa

Dear Alexa,
You are correct that this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we identified it as Morimus funereus on the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery.  In a posting from Macedonia earlier this year, we learned it is a Red Listed Species on the IUCN site devoted to threatened species. 

Letter 215 – Longicorn from Jamaica

 

Subject:  Can you identify this insect?
Geographic location of the bug:  Jamaica, West Indies
Date: 12/26/2018
Time: 10:51 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  The insect is about 1cm in size, found in a dead tree stump in the backyard of a residential community. The insect was found in Jamaica,  West Indies.
With Thanks
How you want your letter signed:  Ijah

Dear Ijah,
This is a Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle from the family Cerambycidae, and the larvae of members of this family are wood boring insects.  It might be Oreodera glauca jamaicensis which is pictured on Cerambycidae Catalog Search.

Hey Daniel,
Thank tou so much for your early response. You have busted my bubble on hoping to have found a new species of bug , but atleast i and my neighbors are now more educated on this matter. We were very fascinated by the interesting look and fearlessness of the insect.
With thanks
Ijah

Letter 216 – Longicorn from Jordan

 

thank you!
Location: Amman, Jordan
August 18, 2011 4:44 pm
thank you tons for this very useful website…
this bug was found in my back yard in the almond tree… it has sadly dug lots of tunnels in the bark of the tree, but i’ve never seen anything like this bug! it has a very sharp call when intimidated…
thanks for any help!
all the best,
Signature: YS

Dear YS,
All we can say for certain at this time is that this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and that they are sometimes called Longicorns or Capricorns.  The larvae are wood boring insects.

Letter 217 – Longicorn from Kenya

 

Subject: Brown beetle bug
Location: Sengera, Kenya
January 15, 2013 5:29 am
This little critter was discovered just outside a building on the compound where I worked. He is as big as he looks and was bigger than my palm.
Signature: Ben Fiddes

Hi Ben,
This is a Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  As you have probably noticed, there is often difficulty identifying African bugs to the species level as there are not many websites devoted to them, unlike North American, Australian and British bugs.  We believe it might be Tithoes confinis which we found on the Worldwide Cerambycidae Photo Gallery and which is also represented in our archives.  Perhaps someone with more experience will write in to confirm our identification or correct it.

Letter 218 – Longicorn from Lake Tahoe

 

Subject: beetle?
Location: South lake tahoe, CA
September 8, 2015 4:29 pm
what kind of bug is this?
Signature: bug guy

Dear bug guy,
This is a Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae.  We will attempt a species identification.

Letter 219 – Longicorn from Lesbos: Dorcadion species

 

Subject: Beetle identification
Location: Lesbos
October 5, 2016 10:39 am
I found this beetle in Lesbos in May 2014 but have been unable to identify it on the internet.
I hope to include it in one of my talks and would much appreciate if you could identify it for me,
Many thanks,
Signature: Wiliam Smiton

Dear Wiliam,
This is a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we wish you had a more detailed image.  We started searching for what we though was going to be an easy identification because that white “racing stripe” adorning your Beetle’s back is so distinctive.  Our first clue came on the New World Cerambycidae Catalog where we found Dorcadion regulare pictured, but it has red legs, unlike your individual.  We then found members of the subgenus Cribridorcadion pictured on the Cerambycidae of the World page, and several members of the subgenus look very similar.  Back on the New World Cerambycidae Catalog site, we found Dorcadion ariannae pictured, and it is the closest visual match, in our opinion.  Islands frequently have species and subspecies endemic to the island that are different from close relatives on the mainland.  We did find some mounted specimens in the genus available on eBay where it notes:  “Dorcadion ariannae (Greece) – RARE” but alas, there is no image of the species, while images of relatives are pictured.

Daniel,
Many thanks for the information.
This one seems quite a challenge!
I have reprocessed the image and added another in the hope they will give you more information,
Your help is much appreciated,
Regards,
William Smiton

Dear William,
Thanks for sending a higher resolution image.  Our identification has not changed.

Letter 220 – Longicorn from New Guinea may be Batocera kibleri

 

Some more great bugs from PNG
April 30, 2010
There are so many awesome bugs here in Papua New Guinea, and I know we’ve only seen the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Here are a few we thought you would like to see.
The first is called, at least locally, a “Christmas spider.” Perhaps you can identify it? They’re rather small – the largest being only about an inch across. The second, some kind of leaf bug? It was about 3″ long, not including antennae. The third, a borer, also about 3″ long not including antennae, which had a spread of about 8″. The spider and leaf bug were photographed near Madang and the borer was photographed in Buka, Bougainville. Enjoy!!
Sharon
Papua New Guinea

Hi Sharon,
We are keeping quite busy today just posting your wonderful images.  We will try to identify this lovely Longicorn.

Comment with Identification
Believe it may be Batocera kibleri. A few links for you to look at… http://www.cerambycoidea.com/foto.asp?Id=67
and http://www.golofa.fr/aff_catalogue.php?groupe=1&famille=1&continent=4#thumb
I hope this helps, though I couldn’t find very much information on the beetle itself.
lttlechkn

Letter 221 – Longicorn from Nigeria

 

Subject: ”Well there is something you dont see every day”, I said to myself.
Location: Bonny Island, Niger Delta, Nigeria, West Africa.
November 14, 2012 11:34 am
May 2008 – This was the beast that started it all for me; sheltering from the rain on the underside of a leaf in my garden in, of all places, the Niger Delta on Bonny Island, Nigeria. It certainly wasnt happy when I tried to move it to a better perch for its first photo shoot. It actually sqeeked!
It appears to fall into Longhorn territory but I cant find any other image of it. I would dearly love to know if it has a name. At 50mm long, excluding ”horns”, it is a magnificent creature. You can see how the psyche of science fiction writers would make their imagination run riot. If only I had time to go on a bug hunt here in Thailand.
Signature: Bill Hester

Hi Bill,
We haven’t had any luck with an identification on this beautiful Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We are posting your photo and we hope to have it identified before too long.  We especially love the photo where this impressive Longhorned Borer Beetle is attempting to take flight.

 

Hi Daniel…
Just downloaded the Electronic version of your book to my iPad… thumbs up to that!
Glad the Longicorn is a new animal for the team… and thanks for posting it.
It made several attempts to fly off until I finally let it go.
Some of the locals were showing a bit more white in their eyes as it soared up into the massive Jungle trees on the other side of the perimeter wall.
There are one or two other unidentified “monsters” on my hard drive for you to get your teeth into.
When I find the images of Bert and Jimmy having breakfast, two huge black and orange Assassin bugs, I’ll share them with an amusing story over their sad demise to an Great African Water Diving Beetle.
Which, apparently, is the biggest “bug” in the world –  Can you confirm that?
Very much appreciate the time you devote to it all.
Thanks for doing what you do.
Bill

Hi again Bill,
We hope you enjoy the book and we look forward to your other submissions.  We believe you are mixing up Diving Beetles with Giant Water Bugs or Toe-Biters as they are known in the U.S.  Southeast Asian Giant Water Bugs are reportedly the largest True Bugs on Earth.

Karl provides the identification of Ceroplesis adusta.
Hi Daniel and Bill:
Your longicorn looks like a species of flat faced-longhorns (Lamiinae), probably Ceroplesis adusta. It is widely distributed throughout East Africa, but I couldn’t find out much more about it. Regards. Karl.

Thanks for the assistance Karl.  Your input is always greatly valued.

 

 

Letter 222 – Longicorn from Puerto Rico

 

Garden Visitor
Location: Puerto Rico
January 31, 2012 1:30 am
All creepy crawlies are welcomed in my little garden, saw this little guy today and found him so bright and cute that I had to take a pic, would be great to know it’s name.
Signature: Nana JoGoFe

Dear Nana JoGoFe,
We can tell you that this is some species of Longicorn or Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, however, our initial internet search has not turned up any matching images from Puerto Rico.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist in a species identification.  For now, a family will have to suffice.  The coloration is quite distinctive, and we don’t believe a proper identification will prove entirely elusive.

Identification courtesy of Karl
February 5, 2012
Hi Daniel and Nana JoGoFe:
It appears to be a longicorn in the genus Chlorida, probably C. festiva. It is a very wide-ranging species found from southern Florida to Argentina, including much of the Caribbean. Regards. Karl

Thanks Karl,
We suppose the genus name Chlorida refers to the green coloration.  We also found a nice image on American Insects.

 

Letter 223 – Longicorn from Romania: Dorcadion (Cribridorcadion) decipiens

 

Subject:  What is this beetle?
Geographic location of the bug:  44°46’17.7″N 27°03’02.6″E
Date: 12/08/2018
Time: 04:19 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Dear Bugman,
I found this insect, but it seems unidentifyable. Can you help me to identify it, please?
How you want your letter signed:  RS

Dear RS,
Your global coordinates indicate this sighting was made in Romania.  This is a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae, and we quickly identified it as Dorcadion (Cribridorcadion) decipiens thanks to Cerambycidae where it indicates the distribution is “Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Monte Negro, Moldova.” 

Letter 224 – Longicorn from Serbia is Musk Beetle

 

Subject: unidentified beetle?
Location: Belgrade, Serbia.(Great War Island)
July 1, 2015 5:29 pm
Hi there Bugman, I was sitting on the bank of the Danube in july, just across from great war island in belgrade serbia, when a large Beatle with a long body about 2 inches in length, with a purplish irredessant shine, and very long antenna landed on a sun shade next to me. Im hopeing you can help me identify it. Looking forward to your reply.
Regards,
Signature: Adam Biginelli

Dear Adam,
We did a quick search and could not come up with a species, but we can tell you that this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle or Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We will continue to research its identity, and perhaps one of our readers (Mardikavana are you out there?) can assist in the identification.

Update:  August 22, 2015
We received a submission of a Longicorn from the UK today that we identified as a Musk Beetle, Aromia moschata, and we believe this is the same species.  Some variations in coloration are posted on Eakring Birds.

Letter 225 – Longicorn from Sierra Leone: Zographus regalis

 

Subject: Beautiful Longhorn? Sierra Leone
Location: Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone, West Africa
March 4, 2013 12:02 pm
Hi, another beetle I’d like to know the name of…
Exceptionally long ’horns’ and great colours!
Signature: Kay

Dear Kay,
This really is a gorgeous Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We do not have time to identify it this morning, but we do have time to post it.  Perhaps one of our readers will provide an identification while we are out of the office.

Just after posting, we decided to give a stab to the identification, and we found Zographus regalis on the Living Jewels website.  There are many photos of mounted specimens online, and a living specimen is pictured on Le Monde des Insectes.

Letter 226 – Longicorn from South Africa

 

Subject: South Africa
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
September 22, 2012 12:42 pm
Hello Bigman
Sadly it’s hard getting nice and close with a mobile phone camera to most little bugs.. this one didn’t seem to mind:-) Crawled slowly around a tree for a while.. then was gone. Never seen this one before on my garden:-) black one. …
Signature: rob

Dear Rob,
This beautiful, black Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae looks the same as one we identified as Ceroplesis militaris last year in November.  You can find our research on the previous posting.

Letter 227 – Longicorn from South Africa

 

Subject: Insect on Apple Blossom
Location: Western Cape, South Africa
October 26, 2015 6:17 am
This insect has been spotted in Apple orchards during blossom period. Seems to spend quite a bit of time at the open flowers
Signature: Keith

Dear Keith,
This is a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We will attempt to determine the species for you when we have a moment.

Letter 228 – Longicorn from Tanzania

 

Subject: Longhorn?
Location: Tanzania
November 11, 2016 11:58 pm
Was just wondering if this is a longhorn and if so what species? Im swedish so never mind the spelling.
Signature: Robin Lindström

Dear Robin,
You are correct that this is a Longicorn in the family Cerambycidae.  We found a matching image on the PicClick website that is identified as Acanthophorus (Tithoes) confinis, and upon searching for that name, we found an individual for sale on Ebay for $450.00 which indicates this must not be a very common species.  The large mandibles indicates that this is a male, and we have an image of a female Tithoes confinis in our archives.  According to iNaturalist:  “Tithoes confinis can reach a length of 55–100 millimetres (2.2–3.9 in). This beetle has a massive hairy body and strong mandibles. The basic colour is dark brown. Pronotum bears two spines on both edges. Adults are nocturnal. Larvae feed on Cashew Nut Trees (Anacardium occidentale) and other trees belonging to the Anacardiaceae family.”