BRN 9-3 - Flipbook - Page 41
The Longhorn Beetles of Sierra
and Do–a Ana Counties
Worldwide there are more than 30,000 species of longhorn
beetle, Family Cerambycidae (Latreille, 1802). They are
distributed within ~5000 genera. Understanding the
taxonomic arrangement of these species can be problematic
at times because the complexity of life that they represent
does not Þt nicely within the simplest species-genus-family
arrangement of the Linnean System taught in introductory
biology courses. As we have tried to squeeze large
numbers of species into discrete boxes, in a manner which
contributes to our understanding of their relationships, it
has become necessary to deÞne a variety of subcategories
within the species-genus-family arrangement. There are
species and subspecies for example - and subspecies are
often broken into differing population descriptors. Some
species are grouped within a genus in variously labeled
categories (i.e., superspecies, group, etc.). These types of
subcategories are also found within ÒfamiliesÓ. In providing
an overview of this family we will hopefully not get caught
in the weeds and we can enhance our collective
understanding of these rather interesting creatures.
References
Resources like BugGuide and The Coleopterists Society
Website are common Ògo toÓ references for ÒbugsÓ in the
United States and Canada, including the longhorn beetles.
In the case of the longhorn beetles, there are other great
resources. For instance, the comprehensive online catalog
of longhorn beetles maintained by Larry G. Bezark and the
work by Steven Lingafelter, who has revised the longhorn
beetle chapter of the new edition of Beetles of the United
States and Canada (forthcoming), are outstanding efforts.
Biological and Distributional Observations on North
American Cerambycidae is also a good source for tracking
specimens.
There are more than 1000 species of longhorn beetle, in
more than 300 genera, in the in the United States and
Canada. We (speaking speciÞcally about the editors and
contributors to the Black Range Naturalist) are not able to
provide a deÞnitive count of species found within Sierra and
Do–a Ana counties.
Taxonomic revision within the insect world has been
extensive and is continuing. Understanding previous
taxonomic determinations is very helpful, but daunting.
ScientiÞc synonyms for the genus Strangalia, for instance,
include (but are not limited to) Ophiostomis (Gemminger &
Harold, 1872), Strangalina (Aurivillius, 1912), Ophistomis
(Thomson, 1857), Strangalidium (Giesbert, 1997), and
Sulcatostrangalia (K. Ohbayashi, 1961). And, of course,
ÒspeciÞcÓ species have been moved between genera from
time to time. Not to mention the lumping and splitting of
various taxonomic groups, like species and subspecies. So
tread lightly and go with humor.
Taxonomic Arrangement
The following taxonomic arrangement for this family is
taken from BugGuide. Only those which might be found in
our area are listed.
Family Cerambycidae - Longhorn Beetles
Subfamily Cerambycinae (Latreille, 1802). ~440
To add to the confusion, the appropriate attribution for the
original describer is sometimes disputed or simply
uncertain.
species in ~160 genera of 37 tribes in the United States and
Canada.
Tribe Achrysonini (Lacordaire, 1868). 3 species within 3
All of the above should be considered when reading what
follows. And it may not be possible to identify the species
of an individual from a photograph, regardless of the quality
of the photograph.
genera in the United States and Canada. Only one species
might be found in our area (see note).
Genus Achryson. 1 species in the southwest.
1. Achryson surinamum (Linnaeus, 1767). Found in
southern Arizona and southeastern Texas. It is
unclear what these disjunct populations represent a gap in range, different species, lack of
observation . . .? Found as far south as southern
Argentina. The image on the next page is from
southeast of Tucson. It is curated on iNaturalist,
shown under a Creative Commons license. Follow
link.
And remember all of those larvae and pupae, which donÕt
look like the adults at all.
Despite, or perhaps because of, the challenges represented
above, learning something about the longhorn beetles can
be an intriguing and, yes, fun effort.
A Fire-necked Longhorn Beetle, Batyle ignicollis (Say, 1824)
is shown at the upper right in a photograph by James Von
Loh at the Soledad/Bar Canyons Trailhead on 11 May 2024.
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