Southwest-fauna
Guides
Elytroleptus
Elytroleptus is a genus of longhorned beetles (Cerambycidae) comprising 15 species distributed across the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America, with one species (E. floridanus) extending into the eastern United States. The genus is notable for containing lycid beetle mimics, with three species—E. apicalis, E. ignitus, and E. limpianus—documented as predaceous on their own lycid models, representing a rare case of aggressive mimicry in beetles. A taxonomic revision in 2013 clarified species boundaries and described one new species while synonymizing three others.