Aegomorphus obscurior (Pic, 1904)

Karpinski, Lech, Szczepanski, Wojciech T., Boldgiv, Bazartseren & Walczak, Marcin, 2018, New data on the longhorn beetles of Mongolia with particular emphasis on the genus Eodorcadion Breuning, 1947 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), ZooKeys 739, pp. 107-150 : 116-118

Aegomorphus obscurior (Pic, 1904) Fig. 5A

Material examined.

Selenge Aimag : 50 km NE of Zuunkharaa (49°05'N, 107°17'E), 930 m a.s.l., 02 VIII 2015 (10 IX 2016, ex cult), 1♂, from Betula platyphylla , leg. WTS .

Remarks.

Aegomorphus obscurior was recently raised to the species level by Hilszczański (2008). After the revision of specimens, it is known to be broadly distributed in Russia and in the Siberian part of Kazakhstan ( Danilevsky and Shapovalov 2007) as well as in Mongolia ( Hilszczański 2008). In Europe, it reaches Latvia ( Telnov 2016) and eastern Poland ( Hilszczański 2008, Danilevsky 2017a). The species was recently included in the Mongolian fauna ( Hilszczański 2008) based on four specimens that were collected 30 km north of Batsumber by B. Burakowski and H. Szelęgiewicz in 1963. The larvae feed on dead trees or dead parts of living trees of their host plants: Quercus robur ( Hilszczański and Bystrowski 2005), Betula sp. and Alnus sp. ( Danilevsky and Shapovalov 2007). The life cycle lasts two years. The adults are active from the second half of May ( Hilszczański and Bystrowski 2005).

A single male was reared from the top part of a broken trunk of the birch Betula platyphylla (approx. 10 cm in diameter) (Fig. 7E ) that was found in the light taiga habitat (Fig. 7F ). The same material was additionally inhabited by larvae of Xylotrechus hircus , Saperda scalaris , and Mesosa myops . Our findings constitute the second record of this species from Mongolia.

Figures

Figure 5. Photos of longhorn beetles specimens collected during the expedition to Mongolia in 2015: A Aegomorphus obscurior (male) B Mesosa myops (male) C M. myops (female) D Monochamus impluviatus impluviatus (male) E M. impluviatus impluviatus (female) F Monochamus sutor longulus (female) G Monochamus sartor urussovii (male) H Agapanthia pilicornis pilicornis (male).

Figure 7. Field photos of immature stages and habitats of typical Mongolian cerambycid species: A larches in forest steppe, the habitat of Lepturalia nigripes rufipennis B larva of L. nigripes in a birch stump C site in light taiga, the habitat of L. nigripes rufipennis and Agapanthia pilicornis pilicornis D site in forest steppe, the habitat of Clytus arietoides, Monochamus impluviatus impluviatus and M. sutor longulus E broken trunk of the birch in light taiga, the microhabitat of inter alia Xylotrechus hircus and Aegomorphus obscurior F birches in light taiga, the habitat of X. hircus, A. obscurior, Saperda scalaris hieroglyphica and Mesosa myops G larva of Xylotrechus pantherinus H larva of X. pantherinus deep in the wood of a standing willow trunk.