Texas Beetle Information

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Strange Virile Bycid

Strangalia virilis LeConte, 1873

Family Cerambycidae, Subfamily Lepturinae, Tribe Lepturini


 

Strangalia virilis LeConte, 1873

(abdominal tip greatly expanded in male, females are more robust overall)

Utley, Bastrop Co., TX
May 27, 2006 (B Freeman)

This wasp mimic was very active/hyper and very wary and took a good while to nab...(2 days)...
This animal was feeding very actively on the blooms of an oregano bush and also could be found on dill blooms as well.  
It was doing its best to look like a wasp.  When captured it would attempt to "sting" you or at least make the motions of doing so.  


Range: Texas and Oklahoma (Hovore et al. 1986)

Adult Activity: May to June (Hovore et al. 1986)

Larval Hosts: Quercus (Linsley & Chemsak 1972)

Behavior

Adults frequent visitors of horsemint (Monarda punctata) in central and eastern Texas (Hovore et al. 1986). Taber & Fleenor (2003) report this species common on Coreopsis during May and June near Bastrop, Texas.

Similar Species: There are 10 species of Strangalia (and one subspecies)  north of Mexico, four occur in Texas.

Strangalia famelica Newman
Strangalia luteicornis (Fabricius)
Strangalia sexnotata Haldeman
Strangalia virilis LeConte

Etymology

strangal (G). Choke
viril (L). Manly


References:

Arnett, R.H., Jr., M.C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley & J.H. Frank. (editors). 2002. American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press. 861 pp.

Borror, D.J. 1960. Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms. National Press Books, Palo Alto. 134 pp.

Hovore, F.T., R.L. Penrose & R.W. Neck. 1987. The Cerambycidae, or longhorned beetles, of southern Texas: a faunal survey (Coleoptera). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 44(13): 283-334, 20 figs.

Linsley, E.G. 1962. The Cerambycidae of North America. Part III. Taxonomy and classification of the subfamily Cerambycinae, tribes Opsimini through Megaderini. Univ. Calif. Publs Ent, Berkeley, 20: 1-188, 56 figs.

Linsley E.G. & J.A. Chemsak. 1972. Cerambycidae of North America. Part VI. No. 2: Taxonomy and classification of the subfamily Lepturinae. University of California Publications in Entomology 80: 1-186.

Monné, M.A. & F.T. Hovore. 2005. Electronic Checklist of the Cerambycidae of the Western Hemisphere. 393 pp.

Taber, S.W. & S.B. Fleenor. 2003. Insects of the Texas Lost Pines. Texas A&M University, College Station. 283 pp.


01 Dec 2008  © Mike Quinn / Texas Entomology / Texas Beetle Information