Oberea tripunctata (Swederus, 1787)

Chapman, Eric G., Richards, Austin B. & Dupuis, Julian R., 2023, The longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) of Kentucky with notes on larval hosts, adult nectar use, and semiochemical attraction, Zootaxa 5229 (1), pp. 1-89 : 48

Oberea tripunctata (Swederus, 1787) ; Saperdini “dogwood twig borer” [new state record]

Distribution: NB to GA to TX to MB. Kentucky collections are nearly statewide (Map 127).

Kentucky counties: Breathitt (1), Bullitt (12), Fayette (10), Grant (1), Jefferson (1), Letcher (2), Lyon (1), Madison (17), Nelson (1), Owen (1), Powell (1), Pulaski (1), Rowan (2), Spencer (1), Trigg (1), Warren (1), nr (1)

Years: 1892 (1), 1905 (1), 1907 (1), 1916 (1), 1947 (1), 1952 (1), 1971 (2), 1972 (2), 1975 (1), 1976 (11), 1985 (1), 1986 (1), 1995 (1), 2009 (1), 2012 (3), 2013 (17), 2014 (4), 2015 (2), 2016 (1), 2021 (1), nr (1)

Months: May (13), June (29), July (9), August (2), September (1), nr (1)

Collections (47 records, 55 specimens): ABRC (15), AMBC (1), BG (3), CNHM (1), EGCCRC (7), JMLC (1), OSUC (1), PDBC (2), UKIC (23), WKUC (1)

Collection methods: Malaise trap (36); trees: Fraxinus (1), Ulmus (1), Acer (1); reared from rotting peach fruit (1); sweeping Trifolium (1)

Larval host plants: Carpinus caroliniana , Cornus florida , Oxydendron arboretum , Populus monilifera , Prunus persica , Rhus copallina , Rubus idaeus and Solidago canadensis ( Monné & Nearns 2022d)

Comments: A commonly collected species that readily comes to Malaise traps. Sweeping Solidago can also be effective ( Bousquet et al. 2017). The common name “dogwood twig borer” is a misnomer, as there are no confirmed records of dogwoods as the host of this species—in fact all of the host plants above except Solidago should be viewed with a bit of skepticism (see discussion of this species’ host plants in Bousquet et al. 2017).