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| Strangalia luteicornis on buttonbush © Beatriz Moisset |
Most beetles we are familiar with are roundish or
oval-shaped hard shelled insects. Think ladybugs or Japanese beetles. Others
are a little longer and cigar-shaped. An entire group of beetles distinguishes
itself for its elegant streamlined figure; these are the so called flower
longhorns. The name refers to their love of flowers as a hangout and to their
long antennae. No, they don't have real horns, just antennae like other
insects. Sometimes these organs can be longer than their entire body.
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| Strangalia famelica, the hungry strangalia © Beatriz Moisset |
Flower longhorns are the fashion models of the beetle world.
Their slender and highly stylized outline is reminiscent of that of wasps;
although they would never be mistaken by such because they have the
characteristic hard shell (elytra) of all beetles covering their membranous
wings. In their elegance they would make a nice fashion parade. Some carry
their slenderness to the extreme of appearing anorexic. In fact one of them was
given the scientific name of famelica,
which means starved one in Latin. By contrast, the banded longhorn (Typocerus) and Brachyleptura
appear almost obese, although they are still rather slender when compared to
most beetles.
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| Brachyleptura rubrica covered with pollen © Beatriz Moisset |
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The banded longhorn, Typocerus velutinus on milkweed
© Beatriz Moisset |
Flower longhorns love flat open blossoms of the umbrella
type, such as the members of the carrot family. They also like flowers of the rose and aster family as well as wild hydrangea. They feed on
their pollen. Sometimes you find several different types amiably mingling
together on these flowers. They are regarded as lesser pollinators of such
plants. It is not surprising, when you see some of them coated with pollen.
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A couple of Metacmaeops vittata on wild hydrangea
© Beatriz Moisset
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Their larvae don't have such wholesome habits. They are wood
borers, meaning that they feed on wood. However none has been reported as a
serious pest of trees. Perhaps trees have enough defenses against them or there
are enough enemies to keep their numbers from getting out of control.
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| Analeptura lineola on wild hydrangea, with pollen on its back © Beatriz Moisse |
Flower longhorn beetles are a beautiful addition to
the biodiversity of forests, well integrated with the remaining members of the
community.
For more on pollinators and other flower visitors read the e-book:
Beginners Guide to Pollinators and Other Flower Visitors
© Beatriz Moisset. 2014
Are there any particular guides for identifying the flower longhorns down to species? I use BugGuide and have a few other books, but it would be nice to know what specific points to be looking for when I see the species in the field. Thanks, in advance, for any tips you're willing to give me.
ReplyDeleteCynthia
I use Bugguide too, most of the time.
ReplyDelete