ant-like longhorn beetle
(Cyrtophorus verrucosus)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | not listed |
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| NatureServe | NNR - Unranked |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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Ant-like longhorn beetle is a small, round-necked long-horn beetle. It is an ant mimic—it looks and runs like an ant. This is probably an example of Batesian mimicry, making it appear unpalatable to potential predators. The body is ¼″ to 7 ⁄16″ (7 to 11 mm) long. It is constricted between the thorax and the abdomen, forming a distinct rounded “neck”. There are two forms of this beetle, a red form and a black form. The red form is probably a mimic of ferruginous carpenter ant (Camponotus chromaiodes) and the black form is probably a mimic of eastern black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus). The face is slanted forward, not vertical. The small antennae-like structures (palpi) emerging from the lower jaws (maxillae) are blunt at the tip, not pointed. The antennae are long, more than half as long as the body. On the female they reach the basal third of the hardened wing covers (elytra). The base of each antenna is usually reddish and is surrounded by the eye. The exoskeletal plate covering the thorax (pronotum) is black, rounded, and widest near the middle when viewed from above, strongly convex when viewed from the side. The hardened forewings (elytra) have a pair of pronounced knobs at the base. There are two diagonal lines of short white hairs just before the middle and a straight thin band of short white hairs just beyond the middle. On the red form, the basal portion of the elytra are reddish. On the black form, the basal portion is black. On both forms, the last (apical) portion is grayish-tan and densely hairy. |
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Size |
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Total length: ¼″ to 7 ⁄16″ (7 to 11 mm) |
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Similar Species |
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Habitat |
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Deciduous woodlands |
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Biology |
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Season |
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March to July |
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Behavior |
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Adults are attracted to lights. |
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Life Cycle |
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Larva Food |
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Dead but not decayed wood of mostly deciduous but sometimes coniferous trees and shrubs |
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Adult Food |
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Nectar and/or pollen of trees and shrubs |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 10/4/2022 | ||||
Occurrence |
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Taxonomy |
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Order |
Coleoptera (beetles) | ||
Suborder |
Polyphaga (water, rove, scarab, long-horned, leaf, and snout beetles) | ||
Infraorder |
Cucujiformia | ||
Superfamily |
Chrysomeloidea (longhorn beetles and allies) | ||
Family |
Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles) | ||
Subfamily |
Cerambycinae (round-necked longhorn beetles) | ||
Tribe |
Anaglyptini | ||
Genus |
Cyrtophorus | ||
Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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ant mimic longhorned beetle ant-like longhorn beetle |
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Glossary
Elytra
The hardened or leathery forewings of beetles used to protect the fragile hindwings, which are used for flying. Singular: elytron.
Maxillae
Paired mouth structures of arthropods located immediately behind the mandible and used for tasting and manipulating food. “Under-jaws”.
Palp
Short for pedipalp. A segmented, finger-like process of an arthropod; one is attached to each maxilla and two are attached to the labium. They function as sense organs in spiders and insects, and as weapons in scorpions. Plural: palpi or palps.
Pronotum
The exoskeletal plate on the upper side of the first segment of the thorax of an insect.
Visitor Photos |
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Alfredo Colon |
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Babette Kis |
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Cyrtophorus verrucosus ant-mimic longhorn beetle Cyrtophorus verrucosus, ant-mimic longhorn beetle, photographed at Barnes Prairie, near the hedgerow, on June 7, 2021. |
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| It's about 10mm long, without the antennae. | |
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Bill Reynolds |
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| I found it on Gray Dogwood eating pollen. |  |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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| Longhorn Beetle (Cerambycidae: Cyrtophorus verrucosus) Ant Mimic Carl Barrentine |
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About
Published on Jun 16, 2011 Photographed at Fisher, Minnesota (16 June 2011). |
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| Round-necked Longhorn Beetle (Cerambycidae: Cyrtophorus verrucosus) on Blossom Carl Barrentine |
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About
Published on Jun 20, 2010 Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (19 June 2010). |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this insect. |
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| Babette Kis 6/7/2021 |
Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI Cyrtophorus verrucosus ant-mimic longhorn beetle |
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| Alfredo Colon 6/4/2021 |
Location: Woodbury, MN |
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| Alfredo Colon 6/3/2021 |
Location: Woodbury, MN |
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| Jaimie Johnson 5/9/2021 |
Location: Stillwater, MN - Teddy Bear Park I felt a bite on my collarbone and another under my shirt shortly after. I found this beetle crawling on the hem of my shirt about 10 minutes later. |
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| Bill Reynolds 6/28/2019 |
Location: Pennington Co., MN I found it on Gray Dogwood eating pollen. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Created: 6/30/2019
Last Updated: