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.
Phymatodes testaceus
Thanks Mardikavana. We should have looked at comments prior to beginning research on the Tanbark Borer today, because we came to the same conclusion. We are glad fro the verification.