Acacia Longicorn Beetle - Penthea sp.

FAMILY CERAMBYCIDAE

This page contains pictures and information about Acacia Longicorn Beetles that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.

 

Body length 30mm

 

In mid summer, on those young Acacia trees in Mt Cotton, we found a few of those Longicorn Beetles. Some of them are actively moving around. When disturbed, some dropped onto the ground and played dead, some slowly flied away. 

 

 

 

They appeared only in a short period of time in mid summer. A year later in the same area,  we easily found a lot of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have very long antennae, typically 11 segmented. They have obvious strong mandibles for chewing. Also notice its notched eyes and its antenna arising within the notch. This is the characteristic of all longicorn beetles.

 

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On Dec 2005, we found a Acacia Longicorn Beetle in Karawatha Forest. It was feeding on a small Acacia tree. It was biting off the skin of some young stems. We found only one beetle in the near by area.

 

 

 

The colour and patterns were slightly different than those we found in Mt Cotton.  

 

 

 

The beetle was very slow moving. When disturbed, the beetle played dead.

 

 

 

When looking at the beetle with the front view, we noticed why there are the round dome on each shoulder. Those domes mimic the eyes of a larger animal. The beetle spends long time on stem feeding plant skin. It will most likely encounter its predators, such as a bird, from above. The mimicking larger animal' face may scare away its predators. 

 

 

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Last updated: December 11, 2005.