Cerambycinae, Latreille, 1802

Swift, Ian, 2008, Ecological and biogeographical observations on Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from California, USA, Insecta Mundi 2008 (26), pp. 1-7 : 2-4

Cerambycinae

Anelaphus albofasciatus (Linell) . This species is known from various species of cacti; to the known hosts can be added Opuntia acanthocarpa Englemann and Bigelow (Cactaceae) . Adult females were observed ovipositing on the lower stems and joints of bracts on plants in the western Mojave Desert of southern California (ISPC, CASC). Individuals where collected on the same plants as another cactusfeeding cerambycid, Moneilema semipunctatum LeConte , and in the vicinity of Lycium andersonii A. Gray (Solanaceae) shrubs, where Anelaphus inflaticollis Chemsak were collected.

Aneflus prolixus prolixus LeConte. A specimen from Jacumba, San Diego County, California is a new country record for this subspecies as well. It was previously known only from various localities in the central and northern Baja Peninsula , Mexico (SDMC). The subspecies A. p. fisheri Knull is common in Arizona and New Mexico.

Anoplocurius incompletus Linsley. This species was first recorded from the U.S.A. by Hovore and Giesbert (1976) from a single specimen taken at light. One adult male was reared from a dead branch of Prosopus glandulosa Torrey (Fabaceae) from Imperial County, California (ISPC). This is the first reported host plant for this species. Three additional specimens where taken at light from the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge along the Colorado River (SBMH).

Brothylus conspersus LeConte. Among the various species of oaks listed as host plants can be added Quercus john-tuckeri Nixon and C.H. Muller (Fagaceae) . Larvae mine the heartwood of dead branches. The larval period is at least two years, as two different sized cohorts of larvae were observed in the host (ISPC).

Callidiellum virescens Chemsak and Linsley. This species was previously known only from Cupressus glabra Sudworth in northern Arizona. Specimens reared from Cupressus forbesii around the Otay Mountain area in southern San Diego County, California, appear to represent this species (ISPC, CASC). This locality is 720 km southwest of the closest known occurrence of C. virescens in Arizona, and suggests this species may be more widespread than previous records indicate or is expanding its range. The larval workings are very similar to those described by Chemsak and Powell (1964) for Callidium cupressi (Van Dyke) .

Calloides lorquini (Buquet) . Adults were reared from the living root crowns and lower branches of the scrub oak of Quercus wislizenii A. de Condolle var. frutescens Englemann in the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County, California (ISPC, CASC). Larval development is similar to that described by Cope (1984) in living plants. Apparently, burned and charred dead host plants are preferred as well, where adults were reared from the larger dead branches. Adults were also captured in pitfall traps set beneath the host plant.

Clytus chemsaki Hovore and Giesbert. Aside from the type series, this species is virtually unknown and no host has yet been recorded. Two males were reared from intentionally-cut limbs of Pseudotsuga macrocarpa (Vasey) Mayr (Pinaceae) near the type locality (ISPC). Larval development is similar to that of C. planifrons (LeConte) as noted by Linsley (1964).

Enaphalodes hispicornis (Linnaeus) . This large, widespread elaphidiine infests the lower trunks of large, dead Quercus agrifolia Nee in the mountains of southern California (ISPC). Larval development can take up to three years, based on laboratory-reared specimens and long-term observations of host trees.

Methia brevis Fall. Adults were reared from Bernardia myricifolia (Scheele) S. Watson (Euphorbiaceae) in the San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County, California (ISPC). Linsley (1962) list no known host plant, however, Linsley and Chemsak (1997) list Dalea fremontii Torrey ex. A. Gray ( Fabaceae ) as a host.

Neaneflus fuchsi (Wickham) . No host plant has been recorded for this genus or this species. Adults were reared out of dead branches of Lycium cooperi A. Gray from the desert slope of the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County, California (ISPC, CASC). Adults were also taken at light at higher elevations (2200 m), well above any Lycium occurrences, and more than one host plant is likely involved.

Neoclytus balteatus LeConte. This species is part of a larger complex of very closely-related species of Neoclytus Thompson including N. magnus Schaffer , N. resplendens Linsley , N. provoanus Casey , and N. interruptus LeConte , of which the host preferences range widely. Linsley (1964) lists the host simply as “ Ceanothus spp.” Neoclytus balteatus was reared and extracted from the living and recently-dead roots of Ceanothus cordulatus Kellogg (Rhamnaceae) at the base of Mt. Pinos, Kern County, California, a 500 km range extension into southern California from the nearest northern locality (ISPC, EMEC). One adult male was also taken on the flowers of Ceanothus integerrimus Hooker and Arnott.

Plectromerus dentipes (Olivier) . An adult male was collected on the campus of California State University, Northridge, Los Angeles County, California in July ( ISPC). An additional female specimen was taken in an urban area of Orange County , California ( CASC). These collections represent the first known occurrences in California, and are doubtlessly the result of introductions. To what extent this species has been established or what host(s) it is utilizing is unknown .

Phymatodes decussatus decussatus (LeConte) and P. d. australis Chemsak. Larval hosts have included various species of oak tree; to which can be added the scrub oak Q. john-tuckeri , where adults were reared from the dead branches (ISPC) and collected in fermenting bait traps. Specimens reared from the same branches of this host were assignable to both the nominate and australis subspecies, with many specimens representing intermediates between the two phenotypes. This intermediacy was also noted by Hovore and Giesbert (1976), who suggested that the australis subspecies was simply a color variety of this polytypic species.

Purpuricenus dimidiatus LeConte. Hovore and Giesbert (1976) reported rearing this species from “scrub oak” in southern California without identifying a particular species. However, there are nine species of scrub oaks that occur in the region. Adults were extracted from the girdled stems of both Quercus wislizenii var. frutescens and Q. john-tuckeri from the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County, California (ISPC, CASC). Several adults were captured in fermenting bait traps in the same area.

Rosalia funebris Motschulsky. This attractive species is known to have a wide host range, utilizing genera such as Alnus Miller (Betulaceae) , Quercus Linnaeus , Umbellularia (Nees) Nuttall (Lauraceae) , Fraxinus Tournefort ex. Linnaeus ( Oleaceae ) and Salix Linnaeus (Salicaceae) . Over the past six years, it has become increasingly more numerous and established in urban areas of southern California, such as Pasadena, San Gabriel, and in the San Fernando Valley, where the larvae have caused considerable damage to ornamental street trees such as the introduced Ulmus parvifolia Jacquin (Ulmaceae) and Platanus X “ hispanica ” Münchhausen ( Platanaceae ) (ISPC, UCRC). Adults were found aggregating on the walls of buildings during the day, apparently attracted to the volatiles of certain types of paint, as has been noted by Linsley (1995) and others.

Schizax senex LeConte. Specimens of this species were reared from dead branches and collected from the blossoms of Chilopsis linearis (Cavanilles) Sweet (Bignoniaceae) . This is the first known record of a cerambycid utilizing this genus and species as a larval host (DSVC).

Smodicum pacificum Linsley. This species was originally described from the Tres Marias Islands off the western coast of Mexico. A single specimen from Carrista Creek in San Diego County, California in the collection of the SDMC is the first known for the state. It was also previously known from several localities in the Baja Peninsula of Mexico as well as Arizona.

Stenaspis solitaria (Say) . This species was collected at the University of California Granite Mountains Reserve, San Bernardino, California (SBMN). It is widespread in the deserts of the southwest, utilizing the host Acacia greggii A. Gray (Fabaceae) .

Tragidion gracilipes Linsley. Linsley lists the host for this species in northern California as Rhamnus californica Eschscholtze, and Hovore and Giesbert (1976) recorded it from southern California for the first time, but could not ascertain the host. An adult was chopped from fire-killed Adenostoma fasciculatum Hooker and Arnott (Rosaceae) , and another collected on the flowers of that plant (DSVC) in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California.