strangalepta flower longhorn beetle

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Strangalepta flower longhorn beetle is a common, medium-sized, early season beetle. It is the only species in the genus Strangalepta. It occurs in the United States from Maine to northern Georgia, west to Minnesota and Illinois. In the southeast it is mostly restricted to the Appalachian Mountain range. It also occurs in southern Canada from Nova Scotia west to Ontario. The larvae feed on decaying wood of various hardwoods and conifers. They bore into the wood and can cause damage to felled logs. Adults are found from May through July mostly in forests and woodlands. They feed on flower pollen, stamens, and nectar.

Adults are black, shiny, and ⅜″ to 9⁄16″ (10.0 to 14.0 mm) in length. They are shiny and black, usually with a variable amount of yellowish, beige, or brick red (pale) markings.

The head is angled forward in front and is abruptly constricted in back forming a neck that is visible when viewed from above. The compound eyes are large, black, and deeply notched around the antennae bases. The antennae are thread-like and long, at least half as long as the body. They are usually entirely black, sometimes pale toward the tip.

The upper thoracic shield (pronotum) is entirely black and somewhat hemispherical, almost round when viewed from above, and rounded above when viewed from the side. There is no collar or constriction behind the head.

The hardened wing covers (elytra) are widened at the front, “broad shouldered”, slightly tapered toward the rear, and rounded at the tip. Most individuals have a pale longitudinal stripe on the basal two-thirds of each elytron. The “abbreviated” stripe is the feature that gives this beetle its species epithet. On some individuals, the elytra are entirely black. On some, they are mostly pale. The pronotum and elytra are shallowly pitted (punctate) and are covered with short fine hairs.

The legs are long, slender, black, and shiny. The fourth segment (tibia) of each leg has a spur at the tip. On the male, the tibia on the hind leg has a small bump (tubercle) on the inside. The last part of each leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, 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.

⅜″ to 9⁄16″ (10.0 to 14.0 mm)

Forests and woodlands

May through July

Adults are active during the day

Decaying wood

Flower pollen, stamens, and nectar

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30, 82, 83.

Common

Lepturini Flower longhorn beetle - Strangalepta abbreviata

Strangalepta abbreviata, on Cow parsnip flowers was taken at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on June 12, 2021. I seldom see this flower beetle, and when I do, it's in June or July.

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Strangalepta abbreviata, on Cow parsnip flowers was taken at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on June 12, 2021. I seldom see this flower beetle, and when I do, it's in June or July.