Sawyer-beetle
Guides
Monochamus obtusus
Monochamus obtusus is a longhorned beetle (family Cerambycidae) described by Thomas Lincoln Casey Jr. in 1891. It belongs to a genus of sawyer beetles that develop as wood-borers in coniferous trees. The species is known from western North America, with records from British Columbia, Canada and the western United States. Two subspecies have been recognized: M. o. obtusus (the nominate form) and M. o. fulvomaculatus described by Linsley & Chemsak in 1983. Like other Monochamus species, it likely plays a role in forest nutrient cycling through its association with dead and dying conifer wood.