Red Pine Longhorn Beetle
species of family “Longhorn Beetles“
1 species
Stictoleptura rubra is a species of beetle with two recognized subspecies, rubra and numidica. They have a length of 10–20 millimetres and show sexual dimorphism in color and shape. The males have black head and pronotum, while females have reddish-brown or reddish-orange elytrae. Their life cycle lasts two to three years, and adults are active from May to September, mainly in July and August. They feed on nectar and pollen from flowering plants and their larvae develop in dead wood of coniferous trees like Picea, Pinus, and Abies. These beetles are found across Europe, Russia, North Africa, Turkey, and Great Britain.
Subspecies#
Two subspecies are sometimes recognised:
Stictoleptura rubra rubra (Linnaeus, 1758) (=nominate subspecies) Stictoleptura rubra numidica (Peyerhimoff, 1917) Two former subspecies, namely Stictoleptura rubra dichroa (Blanchard, 1871) and Stictoleptura rubra succedanea (Lewis, 1873) are often treated as synonyms under Stictoleptura dichroa (Blanchard, 1871) in recent works.
Description#
Stictoleptura rubra can reach a length of 10–20 millimetres (0.39–0.79 in). This species has an evident sexual dimorphism, with variations in color and shape. Elytrae and pronotum of the females are uniformly reddish-brown or reddish-orange, while in males head and pronotum are black. Moreover the males have brown or pale ochre elytrae and often they are smaller and narrower than the females.
Biology#
Life cycle of this species lasts two - three years. Adults can be encountered from May to September, but mainly in July and August). They visit flowering plants for nectar and/or pollen, while larvae develop and feed within dead wood and tree stumps of coniferous trees (Picea, Pinus, Abies, Larix). To develop and reach maturity they need nutrients provided by fungi. Their gut contains cellulase-producing yeasts to enable xylophagy, or wood-digestion.
Distribution#
The species is found throughout the European mainland, Russia and North Africa. It can also be found in Turkey and Great Britain.
Gallery#
== References ==
Stictoleptura rubra is a species of beetle with two recognized subspecies, rubra and numidica. They have a length of 10–20 millimetres and show sexual dimorphism in color and shape. The males have black head and pronotum, while females have reddish-brown or reddish-orange elytrae. Their life cycle lasts two to three years, and adults are active from May to September, mainly in July and August. They feed on nectar and pollen from flowering plants and their larvae develop in dead wood of coniferous trees like Picea, Pinus, and Abies. These beetles are found across Europe, Russia, North Africa, Turkey, and Great Britain.
Ancestry Graph
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