Ant-like Longhorn Beetle

Whichever color form is encountered, this beetle is a believable ant thanks to its looks and its mannerisms.

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Image Credit: Alex -icycatelf- Bowen

Full-sized image #1 of the Ant-like Longhorn Beetle

Thumbnail image #1 of the Ant-like Longhorn Beetle

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Image Credit: Dave

Full-sized image #2 of the Ant-like Longhorn Beetle

Thumbnail image #2 of the Ant-like Longhorn Beetle

TAXONOMY:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Cerambycidae

Genus: Cyrtophorus

Species: verrucosus

The Ant-like Longhorn Beetle has a body and head shaped like an ant. Its coloring is dark at the head and rear end, while the middle of the body is a reddish-brown. This gives the beetle the appearance of a three part body, but a closer look reveals no constriction at the waist or knobby bumps that are part of ant physiology. Such coloring is enough to overlook the long antennae and dismiss the insect as an ant, but to complete the ruse, it wanders all over flowers and plants much like a scouting ant would. Since it is a beetle, the Ant-like Longhorn can fly to other flowers, something ants generally cannot do (an exception would be an alate, or reproductive form, of an ant).

Look for this type of beetle among flowers. Adults drink nectar and eat pollen. Larvae feed on dead, rotting wood, so adults can also be found in woodlands and on their edges.©BeetleIdentification.org

The Ant-like Longhorn Beetle is typically 0.2 inches to 0.4 inches (7mm to 11mm) in size and has the following descriptors / identifiers: black; red; white; fast; ant; multicolored; antennae; white lines; diagonal; big wide head; shoulder bumps; flying.

It has a typical diet of the following: adults eat nectar and pollen; larvae feed on dead hardwood.

Color Identification Guide

Various colors commonly associated with this beetle.

Red

White

Black

Beetle Anatomy

Territorial Area Map (Visual Reference Guide)

The map below showcases (in blue) the states and territories of North America where the Ant-like Longhorn Beetle may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data can be useful in seeing concentrations of a particular species over the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some species are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America.

Alaska

Hawaii

Prince Edward Is.

Canadian territory of New Brunswick graphic

Canadian territory of Newfoundland and Labrador graphic

Territory map graphic of the country of Mexico

Contiguous United States shape map layer graphic

Newfoundland and Labrador

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