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Plectrodera scalator
Classification
Diagnostic Features of Larvae
- Larva. Form robust, cylindrical; integument very thin shining, rather densely covered with short, golden-brown hairs. Head as in Goes species, but the mouth-frame much more heavily chitinized and the anterior edge of hypostoma thickened so as to almost obscure the gula. Pronotum anteriorly bearing a continuous transverse row of short golden brown hairs, posteriorly velvety pubescent; eusternum beset with short hairs evenly distributed on anterior half; sternellum velvety pubescent for entire width. Ampullae bearing four rows of very fine velvety pubescent tubercles, these tubercles almost obsolete; pleural tubercle broadly oval, bearing a number of short hairs and two chitinous pits; spiracles broadly oval, a little larger than antennal ring; peritreme heavy. This larva resembles that of Goes in all essential characters. It is distinguished from species of that genus by the short, golden-brown hairs, which are much more thickly set. The anterior margin of the pronotum bears a continuous transverse band of hairs. Adapted from Craighead (1923).
Biology and Economic Importance
- Members of this tribe include one of the most notorious cerambycids: the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis. In 1996, this invasive species was discovered in New York City and later in Chicago. Native to China and the Korean peninsula, ALB was accidentally imported into the U.S. via wooden shipping materials (Lingafelter & Hoebeke 2002). By 1998, ALB infestations resulted in the destruction of nearly 7,000 trees. Recently, the USDA estimated that, if left uncontrolled, ALB and other Chinese wood boring beetles could cause more than $100 billion in damage to the US economy (Meyer 2010). Accidental introductions continue, and as recently as 2011 a population of ALB was detected in southwest Ohio (USDA-APHIS 2011).
Selected References to Larvae Specimens
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