Friday, July 05, 2013
CARL MARSHALL: OOP Longhorn beetle
Monochamus is a genus of longhorn beetle found throughout the world.
Longhorn beetles are so named because their antennae are often twice (or more)
the length of their bodies.
They are more commonly known as Sawyer beetles or Sawyers, as
their larvae bore into dead or dying trees, especially conifers such as pines.
While Sawyer beetles are economically insignificant by themselves, some
species are known to transport phoretic Bursaphelenchus nematodes
including B. xylophilus - these tiny worms inhabit soil or decaying wood
feeding on fungal hyphens eg - Grey mould, causing pine wilt decease.
This Monochamus ssp arrived at the butterfly Farm this morning
(28/06), brought in by a representative of a company that imports timber from
eastern Europe. This specimen is believed to have been imported from the Czech
republic.
The genus Monochamus should not be mistaken for the genus
Cerambyx - specifically the invasive species Cerambyx scopolii
often reported from Britain.
No comments:
Post a Comment