Arhopalus ferus | |
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Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
Family: | Cerambycidae |
Genus: | Arhopalus |
Species: | A. ferus
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Binomial name | |
Arhopalus ferus (
Mulsant, 1839)
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Synonyms [1] | |
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Arhopalus ferus, commonly known as the burnt pine longhorn beetle, [2] is a species of long horn beetle, of the order Coleoptera. It was first described by French entomologist Étienne Mulsant in 1839.
Adult beetles are 8–30 mm long reddish-brown to black, while males are generally smaller and lighter in colour. [3] [4]
The body is elongated and oval, typical for longhorn beetles. The head angles forward, showing most of the mouth parts. The thread-like antennae are half to three-quarters of the body length, longer in males. The prothorax is smoothly curved with no spines, narrower than the elytra. The elytra have four ridges and slightly tapering sides. [4]
Eggs are white, opaque, and cigar-shaped, measuring about 0.5 by 1.8 mm. Creamy white larvae are cylindrical, with noticeable legs and pointed jaws. Larvae are active when removed from their tunnels. [4]
Arhopalus ferus prefers dead or dying Pinus and Picea injured by fire or other damage but rarely it will develop in healthy trees. [3] [4] Females are attracted to volatiles from burnt trees or sawmills. [4]
Adults, live for several weeks, and emerge in spring to autumn. [3] [4] Females can lay up to about 1000 eggs and they prefer to lay the eggs in fire-scorched host material. [4] Eggs are laid in groups of 5 to 50 in the bark cracks as early as 24 hours after a fire. If host material is not burned it can still support a lighter population. [4]
Larvae hatch in about 10 days and bore towards the inner layers with preference for phloem and cambium but sometimes eat sapwood. [4] The larval tunnels are oval in cross section and up to 12 mm wide. [4]
It native ranges the beetle needs 3 to 4 years to complete its life cycle but in New Zealand the beetle typically completes its life cycle in 1 to 2 years. [3]
Arhopalus ferus naturally occurs across Europe, northern Asia (except Japan), and North Africa. It is an introduced species in New Zealand probably since the 1950s [2] but first reported from Australasia in 1970. [3]
Media related to
Arhopalus ferus at Wikimedia Commons