Checklist of the Cerambycidae, or longhorned beetles (Coleoptera ...

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Larval Cerambycidae also display a variety of habits. Most species feed within dead,
dying or even decaying wood, but some taxa are able to utilize living plant tissue. Girdlers
(adults of the Onciderini, larvae of genera in the tribes Methiini, Hesperophanini and
Elaphidiini) sever living branches or twigs, with the larvae developing within the nutrient-rich
distal portion. The larvae of a few species move freely through the soil, feeding externally upon
roots or tunneling up under the root crown. Digestion of cellulose appears to be aided primarily
by the presence of enzymes rather than symbiotic microorganisms. In many cases,
Cerambycidae are primary borers in woody plants, providing a vital "first step" in the biological
recycling of these materials. Larval feeding habits typically result in frass-filled galleries or
tunnels under the bark or within the sapwood of the host plant, terminating in a pupal chamber,
wherein the metamorphosis from last-instar larva to pupa to adult takes place. The life spans of
most species in temperate regions typically range from one to three years, but many variations
exist, and cycles of from two or three months to several decades have been documented.
Tropical species may be less constrained seasonally, and some populations of smaller genera
literally may breed continuously, with all stages being found on and in the same pieces of wood.
Most of the overall lifetime is spent in the larval stage, with adult beetles usually emerging,
dispersing, reproducing, and dying within a span of but a few days to a few months.
Several species of cerambycid beetles are known to damage living trees, and may
seriously affect orchards and ornamental trees; others may damage coniferous or hardwood
lumber, and a few taxa can damage row crops. The majority of species, however occur within
uncultivated or forested habitats, and while they are of great ecological importance within these
natural ecosystems, they are of little human economic significance. Because of their close
evolutionary linkage to their host plants, cerambycid beetles may be valuable bio-indicators of
forest health and diversity, with differing suites of species found within primary forest habitats
than those which occur within disturbed areas or secondary growth.
Checklist order
Subfamilies are arranged in traditional checklist order, although Napp (1994) has
provided a phylogenetic analysis which suggests the following sequence: Anoplodermatinae,
Parandrinae, Prioninae, Spondylidinae, Lepturinae, Aseminae, Cerambycinae, Lamiinae. Tribal
classifications within the subfamilies have not been evaluated phylogenetically, so their ordering
is alphabetical. It is acknowledged that this results in the artificial separation of similarappearing
(and undoubtedly closely related) taxa (i.e., Anaglyptini – Clytini – Tillomorphini;
Acanthocinini – Colobotheiini; Bothriospilini – Torneutini), and the breakup of the lamiine
tribes with bifid tarsal claws. However, the functional value of a checklist is as an organizing
reference tool, and for that reason-- and until such time as a tribal phylogeny has been
determined-- the ordering is arranged for ease of use. Genera and species also are listed
alphabetically. Citation of author, year and page number follows each taxon name, with
synonymies cited in italics. Geographical distributions listed reflect the present knowledge of the
authors and previous published data, and are subject to expansion as new information is
contributed. An effort has been made to verify all contributed records, but the possibility exists
that some erroneous identifications have led to incorrect distributional parameters for some
species. These are corrected as we become aware of them. State or other provincial citations
have been used where known for some larger countries to more accurately indicate known