Acacia Longicorn Beetle II - Penthea pardalis

FAMILY CERAMBYCIDAE

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


Body length female 30mm

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








On Feb 2012, we found another one on a young Acacia on Venman Circuit.




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's face may scare away its predators. We have more information about face mimicking in this page.

Reference:
1. Cerambycidae, subfamily Lamiinae - lifeunseen.com, by Nick Monaghan.
2. Specimen Image Index - Insect Reference Collection Database - ICDB, Western Australian Department of Agriculture.
3. A guide to the Genera of Beetles of South Australia Part.7 - Matthews, E.G. & Reid C.A.M.Adelaide, Eureca Corporate Group. 1997., p53, fig86.
4. A field guide to insects in Australia - By Paul Zborowski and Ross Storey, Reed New Holland, 1996, p124.