Molorchus bimaculatus Say, 1824

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 : 20-21

Molorchus bimaculatus Say, 1824 ; Molorchini [new state record]

Distribution: NS to FL to TX to MB with a disjunct subspecies in CA. Kentucky collections were mostly from the eastern half of the state ( Interior Plateau and Western Allegheny Plateau; Map 105).

Kentucky counties: Barren (1), Bath (1), Campbell (3), Fayette (35), Jefferson (4), Kenton (4), Madison (19), Powell (1), Rowan (5), Warren (1)

Years: 1891 (1), 1914 (1), 1916 (2), 1922 (1), 1926 (1), 1932 (2), 1938 (8), 1958 (17), 1974 (1), 1986 (5), 1989 (1), 1994 (1), 2011 (3), 2012 (1), 2014 (2), 2015 (1), 2016 (15), 2017 (2), 2018 (1), 2019 (2), 2020 (1), nr (5)

Months: March (2), April (49), May (15), June (2), July (1), August (1), nr (4)

Collections (33 records, 74 specimens): ABRC (9), AMBC (4), BG (2), CMNH (5), EGCCRC (9), PDBC (1), UKIC (41), XEUC (3)

Collection methods: Flowers: Cornus (5), Prunus (3), reared from Cercis canadensis (1); panel trap baited with Ray lab blend (3), C6 ketols (1); Malaise trap (1); sweeping wheat (1)

Larval host plants: Acer spp. , Amelanchier , Betula , Carpinus , Carya spp ., Castanea , Celtis , Cercis , Cornus spp. , Diospyros , Fraxinus , Hamamelis , Juglans , Liquidambar , Ostrya , Quercus spp. , Rhododendron , Rhus , Staphylea , Ulmus and Vitis ( Monné & Nearns 2022c)

Adult flower hosts: This species seems to prefer white flowers like those of Amelanchier , Cornus , Crataegus , Daucus, Physocarpus , Prunus , Sorbus and Viburnum ( Bousquet et al. 2017)

Comments: This spring species (most Kentucky specimens taken in April) can be collected in numbers on flowers in Kentucky, especially dogwood ( Cornus ).