202

FLOWER LONGHORNS

CERAMBYCIDAE: LEPTURINAE

T

he Lepturinae, called flower or blossom

longhorns, are a comparatively small

subfamily of Cerambycidae, with only about

1,500 species. They are rare in the tropics, but

in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere

they are abundant and species-rich, so despite the

globally small size of the superfamily, it includes

some of the commonest and most frequently

seen longhorns in Europe, North America, and

northern Asia.

The adults of most species are diurnal, fly

readily, and feed openly on flowers during the day.

They prefer white flowers, either umbellifers (family

Apiaceae) or the blossom of trees, and they are

important pollinators. They have a characteristic

shape, with broad shoulders, triangular pointed

elytra, a bell-shaped pronotum, and relatively short

antennae for longhorns. Many species have a

yellow or orange and black pattern, superficially

resembling stinging Hymenoptera (bees and

wasps), and they also look very wasp-like in flight.

These species are “Batesian Mimics,” named after

the nineteenth-century English naturalist Henry

Walter Bates, who, working with Amazonian

butterflies, described how harmless species gain

protection by resembling those that are either toxic

or harmful.

subfamily

Lepturinae

known species

1,500

distribution

Worldwide except Australia and Antarctica.

Rare in the tropics, most species are found in

the temperate northern hemisphere

habitat

Forests and forest edges

size

5–50 mm

diet

Larvae usually in dead wood, a few on soil

fungi or living plants. Adults feed on pollen

and nectar

notes

Although completely absent from Australia,

and scarce in the tropics, this group is

extremely abundant and species-rich in the

temperate northern hemisphere, with many

CERAMBYCIDAE: LEPTURINAE