Mallodon

Lacordaire, 1830

hardwood stump borer

Species Guides

Mallodon dasystomus(hardwood stump borer)

Mallodon is a of prionine longhorned beetles in the Cerambycidae. The genus contains approximately eight described distributed across the Americas, with M. dasystomus being the most widely studied and geographically extensive. Species in this genus are characterized by large body size, prominent , and association with hardwood . The genus was established by Lacordaire in 1830.

Mallodon debile by the Smithsonian. Used under a CC0 license.

Mallodon vermiculatus by the Smithsonian. Used under a CC0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Mallodon: /ˈmæloʊˌdɒn/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Habitat

Hardwood forests; larvae develop in wood of various hardwood trees including oak, sweetgum, sugarberry, and hackberry. have been observed in wet bottomland forests and riparian corridors.

Distribution

occurs from the southern United States through Mexico and Central America to northern South America. Individual have more restricted ranges; M. dasystomus is the most broadly distributed, occurring across the southern tier of the U.S. and southward.

Host Associations

oak - larval Quercus ; larval development in wood
sweetgum - larval Liquidambar styraciflua
sugarberry - larval Celtis laevigata
hackberry - larval Celtis
sycamore - larval Platanus ; M. dasystomus specifically associated with Platanus occidentalis and P. wrightii

Life Cycle

Larval development occurs within hardwood , with larvae boring into wood of living or partially dead trees. emerge from host material. Specific developmental timing varies by and region.

Behavior

are attracted to ultraviolet light. Males of M. dasystomus are attracted to volatile released by females. Both sexes respond to -derived volatile and prefer host material over non-host material. Males preferentially select host material containing live females.

Ecological Role

Wood-boring in hardwood forest ; contributes to decomposition of dead and dying wood and nutrient cycling in forest systems.

Human Relevance

Occasional pest of hardwood timber; sometimes encountered at lights. One specimen was documented arriving in Canada via commercial wood shipment from Mississippi.

Similar Taxa

PrionusBoth are large prionine cerambycids with robust bodies and prominent ; Mallodon generally have more extensively hairy mouthparts and different antennal structure
ParandraBoth belong to archaic cerambycid lineages with unusual ; Parandra have short, equal-segmented and more flattened, parallel-sided bodies with entire

More Details

Nomenclatural note

The specific epithet of M. dasystomus was consistently misspelled as 'dasytomus' in much of the literature until corrected. The proper spelling derives from Greek dasus (hairy) and stoma (mouth), referring to the hairy mouthparts characteristic of the .

Research significance

M. dasystomus has been studied for its chemical , specifically the role of volatile in location and mate finding. This makes it one of the better understood prionine beetles in terms of behavioral ecology.