Stenaspis

Audinet-Serville, 1834

Species Guides

Stenaspis is a of longhorn beetles ( Cerambycidae) established by Audinet-Serville in 1834. The genus comprises seven recognized distributed across North and Central America. Members are robust, medium-to-large cerambycids associated with woody vegetation, particularly leguminous trees and shrubs. Several species have been documented from Arizona and the southwestern United States, where they occur in desert scrub and oak woodland .

Stenaspis solitaria by (c) Jared Shorma, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jared Shorma. Used under a CC-BY license.

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Pronunciation

How to pronounce Stenaspis: //stəˈnæspɪs//

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Images

Habitat

Desert scrub, thorn-scrub, and oak woodland . have been documented in association with woody legumes including Acacia, Prosopis, and Mimosa, as well as Baccharis sarothroides (desert broom).

Distribution

North and Central America. Documented from the southwestern United States (Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas), Mexico, and Central America. Specific collecting localities include the Chiricahua Mountains, Santa Rita Mountains, Huachuca Mountains, and Wichita Mountains.

Seasonality

activity documented during summer monsoon season (July–August) in the southwestern United States.

Host Associations

Acacia - occurrenceA. rigidula, A. greggii
Prosopis - occurrenceP. glandulosa
Mimosa - occurrenceM. dysocarpa
Baccharis sarothroides - occurrencedesert broom

Behavior

have been observed on flowering vegetation and beaten from living and dead branches of plants. Mating pairs have been documented in situ on host vegetation.

Similar Taxa

TrachyderesSimilar robust body form and association with woody legumes; distinguished by antennal and pronotal characters
DendrobiasOverlapping distribution and use in southwestern deserts; Dendrobias mandibularis frequently sympatric

More Details

Species composition

The contains seven : S. castaneipennis Dupont, 1838; S. pilosella Bates, 1892; S. plagiata Waterhouse, 1877; S. solitaria (Say, 1824); S. superba Aurivillius, 1908; S. validicornis Casey, 1912; and S. verticalis Audinet-Serville, 1834.

Collecting notes

S. verticalis and S. solitaria are documented as priority target for collectors in southeastern Arizona. S. verticalis arizonensis has been photographed and collected from Baccharis sarothroides in lower Madera Canyon.