flower longhorn beetle

(Brachysomida bivittata)

Conservation Status
flower longhorn beetle (Brachysomida bivittata)
Photo by Alfredo Colon
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Brachysomida bivittata is a small flower longhorn beetle, ¼ to 7 16 in length. The overall coloration is highly variable, making identification difficult.

The head may be entirely black, orange with a black stripe between the eyes, or entirely orange. The compound eyes are always black. The face slants forward or is nearly vertical. The antennae are long, black, thread-like, and at least half as long as the body. The base of each antenna is not surrounded by the compound eye.

The upper thoracic shield (pronotum) is bell-shaped, narrow at the front, widest at the base. It may be entirely black, orange with two small or large black spots, or entirely orange with no black markings.

The hardened wing covers (elytra) taper evenly from the base to the blunt tip, making the body appear broad-shouldered. They may be all black or black with a pale longitudinal stripe from the shoulder to the tip and a pale stripe at the inner margin where the elytra meet. The stripes may be narrow and well-defined, broad and diffuse and almost completely obscuring the black background, or anywhere in between these two extremes.

On each leg the third and largest segment (femur) is orange with black at the tip and the base. The fourth segment (tibia) is black. The last part of each leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, is black. The tarsus has five segments but the fourth segment is minute and is concealed within the lobes of the heart-shaped third segment, making it appear that there are only four segments.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Total length: ¼ to 7 16

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

 

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

April to July

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

 

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

 

 
     
 

Larva Food

 
 

 

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

Nectar and/or pollen of flowers

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 29, 30.

 
  6/26/2018      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Coleoptera (beetles)  
 

Suborder

Polyphaga (water, rove, scarab, long-horned, leaf, and snout beetles)  
 

Infraorder

Cucujiformia  
 

Superfamily

Chrysomeloidea (leaf beetles and allies)  
 

Family

Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles)  
 

Subfamily

Lepturinae (flower longhorn beetles)  
 

Tribe

Rhagiini  
 

Genus

Brachysomida  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

Brachysomida bivittata var. fusciceps

Brachysomida bivittata var.nigripennis

Brachysomida bivittata var.varians

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Brachysomida fusciceps

Brachysomida incertus

Brachysomida nigripennis

Brachysomida oblongus

Brachysomida varians

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

This species has no common name. The common name of the subfamily Lepturinae is flower long-horned beetles, and it is applied here for convenience.

 
       

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Elytra

The hardened or leathery forewings of beetles used to protect the fragile hindwings, which are used for flying. Singular: elytron.

 

Femur

On insects and arachnids, the third, largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. On humans, the thigh bone.

 

Pronotum

The exoskeletal plate on the upper side of the first segment of the thorax of an insect.

 

Tarsus

On insects, the last two to five subdivisions of the leg, attached to the tibia; the foot. On spiders, the last segment of the leg. Plural: tarsi.

 

Tibia

The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot).

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Alfredo Colon

 
    flower longhorn beetle (Brachysomida bivittata)      
           
 
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  Alfredo Colon
6/8/2018

Location: Woodbury, MN

flower longhorn beetle (Brachysomida bivittata)  
           
 
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