Strangalia Audinet, 1835

Monné, Marcela L. & Monné, Miguel A., 2008, The tribe Lepturini in South America (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lepturinae), Zootaxa 1858, pp. 37-52 : 48-49

Strangalia Audinet – Serville, 1835

Strangalia Audinet-Serville, 1835: 220 ; Monné, 2006: 134. Ophistomis Thomson, 1857: 319 .

Ophiostomis Gemminger & Harold, 1872: 2875 . Strangalia (Strangalina) Aurivillius, 1912: 245 .

Strangalia Audinet – Serville, 1835 is composed of 67 species in the Neotropical region. Most of them occur in Mexico and Central America , and only 18 are recorded for South America ( Monné 2006) . From northern and central–western Brazil, ten species were recorded by Monné & Monné (2005), and a key was provided. Monné et al. (2004) proposed nine synonyms in Strangalia from the Atlantic Rainforest region.

The genus Strangalia is characterized by the slender form, tapering posteriorly, antennae inserted along the anterior margins of the eyes, males with apical segments with distinct poriferous areas. Pronotum trapezoidal, hind angles acutely produced over humeri, sides tuberculate or not. Elytra cuneiform, sides narrowing at middle, apices acuminate to oblique. Abdomen of males often with last ventral segment deeply excavated and margins greatly expanded. Posterior tarsi slender, elongate, first segment longer than following two segments together ( Chemsak 2005).

Often, many species in this genus are highly sexually dimorphic and dichromatic, and many of the characters used to define the genus are more conspicuous in the males. Only females of S. semifulva ( Bates, 1870) and S. melanostoma ( Bates, 1870) are known, and only by examining males will it be possible to corroborate whether in fact they can be placed in this genus.