Harlequin buck

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Harlequin buck
Harlequin buck (Acrocinus longimanus)

Harlequin buck ( Acrocinus longimanus )

Systematics
Subordination : Polyphaga
Family : Longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae)
Subfamily : Weber bucks ( Lamiinae )
Tribe : Acrocinini
Genre : Acrocinus
Type : Harlequin buck
Scientific name of the  tribe
Acrocinini
Swainson , 1840
Scientific name of the  genus
Acrocinus
Illiger , 1806
Scientific name of the  species
Acrocinus longimanus
( Linnaeus , 1758)
female
Harlequin buck on an Ecuadorian postage stamp (2009)

The harlequin beetle ( Acrocinus longimanus ) is a beetle from the family of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae). It is the only species of the genus Acrocinus, monotypical, and the only species of the Acrocinini tribe within the longhorn beetle subfamily of the Weberbok (Lamiinae). The harlequin buck is widespread in the tropical rainforests from southern North America through Central America to northern South America.

features

Harlequin bucks are about seven centimeters long. The chitin armor has a colorful pattern: the drawing consists of various intertwined stripes and spots in the colors black, gray, red and pink. Its German name comes from this color. The animals have the typical elongated shape of a longhorn beetle. The antennae are very long and thread-shaped. The unusually long front legs, which can reach almost twice the length of the body, are striking. The front legs of the males are significantly longer (up to twice as long) than those of the females.

Way of life and distribution

The beetles inhabit tropical rainforests from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. They usually sit on trees and feed on the juices and pollen from there. The color is very noticeable, but it makes the beetle difficult to recognize on tree bark or the forest floor: its outlines dissolve against the background ( somatolysis ).

The larvae live exclusively in fallen tree trunks of the mulberry family (Moraceae), z. B. the figs ( Ficus ), Brosimum and Bagassa guianensis and the dog poison family (Apocynaceae), z. B. Parahancornia fasciculata and feed on wood. They take 4 to 12 months to develop.

literature

  • David W. Zeh, Jeanne A. Zeh and Melvin M. Bonilla: Phylogeography of the giant harlequin beetle (Acrocinus longimanus) . Journal of Biogeography, 30, 747-753, Oxford 2003 ISSN  0305-0270
  • David W. Zeh, Jeanne A. Zeh and Gerard Tavakilian: Sexual Selection and Sexual Dimorphism in the Harlequin Beetle Acrocinus longimanus. Biotropica, 24 (1): 86-96, Oxford 1992 ISSN  0006-3606

Web links

Commons : Acrocinus longimanus  - collection of images, videos and audio files