Harlequin beetle

Not to be confused with harlequin cabbage bug.

Harlequin beetle
A harlequin beetle in its natural habitat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cerambycidae
Genus: Acrocinus
Illiger, 1806
Species:
A. longimanus
Binomial name
Acrocinus longimanus
Synonyms
Cerambyx longimanus

The harlequin beetle (Acrocinus longimanus) is a large and distinctly colored species of longhorn beetle from the Neotropics and the only member of the genus Acrocinus.[1]

It is given its English name because of the elaborate pattern of black, orange-red and greenish-yellow markings in both sexes;[1][2] despite this the beetle is quite well-camouflaged when perched on a lichen or fungus covered tree trunk.[3] The species name longimanus is a Latin word that refers to the extremely long forelegs (manus) of the large males, which are longer than the beetle's entire body.[3] The head-and-body of this beetle measures 4.3 to 7.5 cm (1.7–3.0 in) long.[4] The size and unusual appearance of the harlequin beetle has made it popular among insect collectors.[5] Although essentially harmless to humans, it may bite in self-defense with its strong mandibles.[6]

  1. ^ a b Zeh, David W.; Zeh, Jeanne A.; Bonilla, Melvin M. (2003). "Phylogeography of the giant harlequin beetle (Acrocinus longimanus)". Journal of Biogeography. 30 (5): 747–753. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2699.2003.00880.x. ISSN 0305-0270. S2CID 62880221.
  2. ^ Evans, Arthur V.; Bellamy, Charles L. (2000). An inordinate fondness for beetles. University of California Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-520-22323-3. Retrieved 24 Jan 2011.
  3. ^ a b The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2014). "Harlequin beetle". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  4. ^ Guzmán-Vásquez, H.M.; Sánchez-Garciá, J.G. (2020). "New state records of the harlequin beetle, Acrocinus longimanus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), in Mexico". The Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 96 (2): 75–78. doi:10.3956/2020-96.2.75. S2CID 220365383.
  5. ^ "Acrocinus longimanus (Linnaeus, 1758)". ukbeetles.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  6. ^ Hequet, V. (1996). Longicornes de Guyane. Orstom, Silvolab. ISBN 9782950968616.