British insects: the families of Coleoptera

L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz

Cerambycidae

Including Lamiidae, Parandridae, Spondylidae.

Longicorn, Long-horn Beetles.

General appearance. 2.5–30 mm long. Body length/maximum body width 1.7–7.97. Elytral length/pronotal length 1.03–7.3. Base of prothorax not or scarcely narrower than the combined elytral bases, or distinctly narrower than the combined elytral bases. Greatest prothoracic width not narrower or only slightly narrower than the greatest elytral width, or distinctly narrower than greatest elytral width. Beetles elongate; dorsally flattened, or cylindric; conspicuously necked to not necked; somewhat waisted, or conspicuously waisted; sometimes brightly coloured, sometimes cryptic; exhibiting bright ‘warning colours’, or without ‘warning colouration’. Upper surfaces of body glabrous or subglabrous, or non-glabrous; exhibiting stiff, erect, dark bristles, or not bristly; with neither scales nor scale-like setae.

Detailed morphology. Beetles prognathous, or not prognathous. Inclination of the head slight to very strong. Eyes strongly protuberant, or not strongly protuberant; usually accommodating the antennae in an anterior notch; bristly, or without bristles. Antennae about half the insect's head to tail length to longer than the insect's head to tail length (nearly always at least two-thirds of the body length and often much longer; usually capable of being directed backwards over, and parallel with, the body); 8–9 segmented, or 11–20 segmented. Antennal scape swollen, or not swollen. Antennae filiform. Antennal insertions visible from above, or hidden from above; not in fossae. Mandibular prosthecae well developed to absent. Prothorax shorter than wide to longer than wide. Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.37–2.1. Prothorax at its widest markedly narrower than the adjoining part of the abdomen. Prothorax without notopleural sutures. Metaventrite with a transverse groove, or without a transverse groove. Hind coxae not shaped posteriorly to receive the femur. Tarsal segmentation formula 4, 4, 4. The tarsi exhibiting bilobed segments; with a tiny penultimate segment hidden by distal lobing of the fourth and fused to the fifth. Front tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 4-segmented, or 5-segmented (depending on interpretation). Mid-leg tarsi 4-segmented, or 5-segmented; pseudotetramerous. The claws of the mid-leg tarsi not appendaged. The claws of the mid-leg tarsi simple, or one-toothed or bifid; with an empodium between them (sometimes with three or more setae), or without an associated empodium. Hind tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 4-segmented, or 5-segmented (the basal segment shorter than the rest together). Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 0.57–5.55. Elytra individually distinctly tapered to their apices, or not individually tapered; meeting along the length of the mid-line, or not meeting along the full length of the mid-line; covering most to all of the abdomen, or short, exposing several terminal abdominal tergites; exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite to at least three complete abdominal tergites; not truncate. Scutellary striole present, or absent. Elytra non-glabrous (usually), or glabrous. Wings well developed, or absent or much reduced. Exposed abdominal sternites 5; all articulated and movable. Abdominal segment 8 apparently without functional spiracles.

Adult habitat, ecology. Not predacious.

Larvae. Larvae not predacious; phytophagous, or boring into living wood, or boring into dead wood; on living vegetation (in plant stems), or in rotting wood, or in or under bark (usually in dead or sick trees). The larvae whitish, cylindrical or flattened, with a small transverse head and legs very small or absent; distinguishable from those of Buprestidae by the less flattened thorax, and in having bilabiate or annular rather than cribriform spiracles.

Classification. Suborder Polyphaga; Infraorder Cucujiformia; Superfamily Chrysomeloidea.

Worldwide and British representation. About 20000 species worldwide. 65 species in Britain; genera in Britain 37; Acanthocinus, Asemum, Mesosa, Molorchus, Strangalia, Monochamus, Obrium, Phymatodes, Prionus, Rhagium, Saperda, etc. E.g., Acanthocinus aedilis; Asemum striatum (Kinnordy Cerambyx); Mesosa nebulosa (Clouded Lamia); Strangalia quadrifasciata (Horn-tipped Leptura); Molorchus minor (Maculated Molorchus); Molorchus umbellatorum; Monochamus sartor; Obrium cantharinum (Reddish Obrium); Phymatodes alni; Prionus coriarius; Rhagium mordax; Saperda scalaris.

General comments. Small to large beetles, usually elongate and pubescent, subcylindrical or flattened, all the tibiae 2-spurred..

To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.

Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Coleoptera. Version: 2nd January 2012. http://delta-intkey.com’.

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