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CAPRICORN BEETLES

CERAMBYCIDAE: CERAMBYCINAE

T

he subfamily Cerambycinae includes a third

of the longhorn beetle family Cerambycidae,

and with over 11,000 species, is exceeded in species

richness only by the subfamily Lamiinae. Like most

other longhorns, larvae of Cerambycinae feed

inside plant material, mostly woody plants, while

the adults feed on tree sap or on nectar from

flowers. Some cerambycines prefer living wood,

and may be harmful or even fatal to the trees in

which they develop. One example is the Australian

genus Phoracantha, which attacks eucalyptus trees;

two species, Phoracantha semipunctata and P. recurva,

subfamily

Cerambycinae

known species

11,200

distribution

Worldwide except Antarctica. Most

common and species-rich in tropical forests

habitat

Forests, woodlands, or wherever there is

timber for the larvae to develop in. A few

species live in herbaceous plants in grasslands

size

6–150 mm

diet

Larvae develop inside either dead or living

plant material. Adults feed on nectar and

pollen or tree sap, and some adults do not

feed at all

notes

Dead adults identified as Cerambyx cerdo,

the Great Oak Capricorn, were found inside

a piece of buried ancient bog oak in eastern

CERAMBYCIDAE: CERAMBYCINAE

right | Xoanodera

striata Only

discovered in 1970,

in Laos, this beetle

is usually found on

cracked, mossy old

tree bark, where it

blends in perfectly.