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.
| Arhopalus ferus | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| 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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Description
editAdult 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]
Behaviour
editDiet
editArhopalus 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]
Life cycle
editAdults, 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]
Distribution
editArhopalus 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]
References
edit- ^ Registry-Migration.Gbif.Org (2023). "Arhopalus ferus (Mulsant, 1839) in GBIF Secretariat (2023)". GBIF Backbone Taxonomy accessed via GBIF.org. doi:10.15468/39omei. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ a b Biosecurity New Zealand Tiakitanga Pūtaiao Aotearoa (2023). "A Guide to Arhopalus ferus: Burnt Pine Longhorn Beetle". The Ministry for Primary Industries Manatū Ahu Matua. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ a b c d e Wang Qiao; Leschen Richard A. B. (2003). "Identification and distribution of Arhopalus species (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Aseminae) in Australia and New Zealand". New Zealand Entomologist. 26 (1): 53–59. Bibcode:2003NZEnt..26...53W. doi:10.1080/00779962.2003.9722108.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hosking, G. P. (2009). "Burnt pine longhorn beetle, Arhopalus tristis". Forest and Timber Insects in New Zealand (27).
Media related to Arhopalus ferus at Wikimedia Commons