About the Ant-Like Longhorn Beetle
Cyrtophorus verrucosus, commonly known as the ant-like longhorn beetle or ant-mimic longhorn beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae. It is native to North America, more specifically southern Canada and the eastern United States.
C. verrucosus is a specialized ant mimic, even moving in a manner similar to an ant. It has varying amounts of red and black in two forms (the red thought to be mimicking Camponotus chromaiodes and the black Camponotus pennsylvanicus). The pronotum has knobs at its base, two white lines of setae near the center. It is usually between 7 mm (0.28 in) and 11 mm (0.43 in) in length.
This species inhabits deciduous forests and is sometimes found on spring flowers, from which adult beetles extract pollen and nectar. Larvae develop in and feed on hardwood trees, most commonly in the genera Acer, Betula, Cercis, Pinus, and Ulmus. Adult beetles are usually active between March and July.
It is widely believed that due to biodiversity loss, there has been a decrease of C. verruscosus in the Ontario region. In the last 100 years, over 18,000 specimens have been collected, and the accumulation... Wikipedia →