Atractocerus sp. (genus)

Ship-timber beetle at Michelago, NSW

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Identification history

Atractocerus sp. (genus)	25 Dec 2018	KimPullen
Myrmeleontidae (family)	24 Dec 2018	MichaelMulvaney
Unidentified	30 Nov 2018	Illilanga

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Private property. No public access without permission. Attracted to our light.

3 comments

KimPullen wrote:

26 Dec 2018

Good find! These aberrant beetles are quite rare. The larvae are wood borers; the adults fly well and are sometimes attracted to electric lights.

Illilanga wrote:

26 Dec 2018

Thanks Kim! This one had me stumped for a long time, so I took my time before adding it to CNM. Are there any particular species of tree/shrub they prefer? Some of our acacias near the house were destroyed by unknown borers (and happy black cockies) over the past year or two.

KimPullen wrote:

27 Dec 2018

Information in 'Australian beetles' Vol. 1 by J.F. Lawrence & A. Slipinski (CSIRO Publishing, 2013) only says the larvae "bore into hard wood of weakened or dead trees and feed on Ambrosia fungi". The female actually carries spores of the fungus in special pouches and infects the tree as it lays eggs. Incidentally the common name comes from a European species of the family, which attacks timber used in ship building.

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