BRN 9-3 - Flipbook - Page 45
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the sapwood and later the heartwood, and pupate
in the fall at the end of larval mine behind a wad of
Þbrous frass; overwinter as pupaeÓ - from Baker,
Eastern Forest Insects.
iNaturalist sightings which are ÒcloseÓ to our area
include that by Sara S‡enz near Los Pinos in
Chihuahua and that by Diego Meneses from El Paso.
His observation is shown at the top right under a
Creative Commons license.
11. Megacyllene robiniae (Forster, 1771)
This species is common where Black Locust, Robinia
pseudoacacia, has been planted. Although larvae
of this species feed on Black Locust they are
apparently not attracted to Honey Locust, Gleditsia
triacanthos, which is an exotic in our area. (This
speciesÕ relationship, if any, with the New Mexico
[RusbyÕs] Locust, Robinia rusbyi, is unknown to the
editor. Instead note Megacyllene robusta, below.)
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This species is often found on species of Solidago,
goldenrods, feeding on pollen.
alternating yellow and white bands on the elytra
and is active as an adult between March and May.
BugGuide: ÒEggs are laid in the fall. Newly
emerged larvae hibernate under bark, tunnel in
spring, making tunnels about 10 cm long and 6 mm
wide, pupate late Jul/early Aug; adults emerge late
Aug-Sep.Ó
This image was taken by Òroadrunner_38Ó
(iNaturalist) and is shown here under a Creative
Commons license. It was taken at Los Lunas, New
Mexico on 24 October 2023.
This species is typically active as adults from August
to October; note that its bands are all yellow.
Compare with Megacyllene caryae which has
The Mesquite Borer, Placosternus difÞcilis, has not
been reported in New Mexico on iNaturalist as of
04 July 2025. It looks similar to this species.
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