Crossidius grahami

Morris & Wappes, 2013

Ohoopee Dunes Crossidius Beetle

Crossidius grahami is a longhorned beetle (Cerambycidae) described in 2013 from southern Georgia. It is restricted to a highly specific plant, woody goldenrod (Chrysoma pauciflosculosa), a asteraceous shrub of coastal sand dunes and scrub. The was discovered incidentally when collectors reared from root crowns while attempting to rear a different undescribed cerambycid. Adults are found primarily on lower stems of living plants.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Crossidius grahami: //ˈkrɔs.ɪ.di.əs ˈɡræm.aɪ//

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Habitat

Coastal sand dunes and sand scrub of the southeastern United States coastal plain. Specifically associated with the plant woody goldenrod (Chrysoma pauciflosculosa), which grows in these sandy environments.

Distribution

Known only from a few locations in southeastern Georgia and Florida. The type locality is in Emanuel County, Georgia.

Seasonality

have been collected in late May. Activity likely corresponds with plant and local rainfall patterns.

Diet

Larvae develop within the woody root crowns and lower stems of living woody goldenrod (Chrysoma pauciflosculosa), a member of the Asteraceae. have been observed on lower stems of living plants, presumably feeding.

Host Associations

Chrysoma pauciflosculosa - primary woody goldenrod; larvae develop in root crowns and lower stems of living plants, found on lower stems

Life Cycle

Larvae bore through the root crowns and lower stems of living woody goldenrod. emerge from these tissues. The appears to require living plant tissue for larval development, unlike most cerambycids that develop in dead wood.

Behavior

are found on lower stems of living plants. Scarcity of adults in the field suggests that either is brief, adults are short-lived, or detection is difficult due to their position on lower stems.

Ecological Role

A herbivore tightly linked to a geographically restricted plant in a rare coastal . The -plant association represents a distinctive ecological interaction in southeastern coastal plain sand scrub .

Human Relevance

The has no known economic importance. Its discovery highlights the value of opportunistic collecting and rearing from plants, as it was found incidentally during efforts to rear another undescribed species.

Similar Taxa

Chrysobothris seminoleShares the same plant (Chrysoma pauciflosculosa) and was discovered during the same collecting effort, but belongs to Buprestidae (jewel beetles) rather than Cerambycidae
Other Crossidius speciesMost other in the develop in roots of Chrysothamnus/Ericameria, Gutierrezia, or Haplopappus rather than Chrysoma, and occur in western North American aridlands rather than southeastern coastal plain

More Details

Discovery circumstances

The was discovered when Roy Morris and Edwin Donaldson collected woody goldenrod root crowns to rear of an undescribed cerambycid, and instead reared adults of this new Crossidius species. The intended target cerambycid was also subsequently described as new.

Conservation implications

Both the and its plant are restricted to a rare and geographically limited —coastal sand dunes and scrub of the southeastern coastal plain—making the vulnerable to habitat loss.