Blosyropus spinosus, also known as the spiny longhorn or spiny silver-pine borer, is a rare species of longhorn beetleendemic to New Zealand. It has no specific Māori name, but the term for large longhorns of this type are howaka and kapapa.[1]
B. spinosus is one of the largest endemic beetles in New Zealand,[7] growing to around 46 mm long.[8] It is nocturnal,[9] and flightless.[8] The hind wings are shortened or completely reduced in both sexes in this genus.[6]Blosyropus spinosus is dark brown in colour with yellowish hairs on its body.[8] Its key distinguishing characteristic is a single short spine on each side of its head above the eyes and behind the antennae. There are four spines midway along the pronotum (thorax) in front of the elytra.[10][8]
B. spinosus has been found in forest in many areas of New Zealand.[9] Its larvae have been discovered in rotting logs of a variety of trees including tawa, Dracophyllum, pōhutukawa, manoao (silver pine), and red beech, as well as in podocarp forest.[8][10][11] It is a Category I (indeterminate status) Threatened Species.[12]
Behaviour
The adult beetle is attracted to lights.[8] Eggs are laid towards the top of the tree and the larva tunnel downwards as they feed on the rotting wood.[13] Pupation occurs in a large pupal chamber at the base of the tree.[13] This pupal chamber opens to the outside but is plugged with coarsely chewed wood that has not been digested by the larva.[13] After completing metamorphosis, the beetle may overwinter or hibernate within the pupal chamber.[13]
Male Blosyropus spinosus
Head of Blosyropus spinosus in the Auckland Museum collection.
^Duffy, BAJ (1963). A monograph of the immature stages of Australasian timber beetles (Cerambycidae). pp. 1–235.
^Sopow, Stephanie; Gresham, Belinda; Bain, John (2015). "Exotic longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) established in New Zealand". New Zealand Entomologist. 38 (2): 107–125. doi:10.1080/00779962.2014.993798. S2CID86130081.
^ abLeschen, Richard A. B.; Beutel, Rolf (2014). Coleoptera, beetles. Vol. 3: Morphology and systematics (Phytophaga). Berlin. ISBN978-3-11-027370-0. OCLC878076434.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Marris, John (24 September 2007). "Beetles - What is a beetle?". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
^McGuinness, Carl A. (2001). The conservation requirements of New Zealand's nationally threatened invertebrates. Wellington, New Zealand: Biodiversity Recovery Unit, Dept. of Conservation. ISBN0-478-22048-0. OCLC49672723.
^ abcdMorgan, F. David (1960). "The Comparative Biologies of Certain New Zealand Cerambycidae". New Zealand Entomologist. 2 (5): 26–34. doi:10.1080/00779962.1960.9722791.
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