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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Long-horned and Leaf Beetles (Chrysomeloidea) » Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae) » Flat-Faced Longhorns (Lamiinae) » Moneilemini » Cactus Long-horned Beetles (Moneilema)
Photo#9401
Cactus Longhorn - Moneilema
Copyright © 2004 Robyn Judith Waayers

Cactus Longhorn - Moneilema
Indian Gorge, Anza Borrego State Park, Anza Borrego Desert, San Diego County, California, USA
July 10, 2004
I found this beetle on the ground at night, not on cactus, though they are commonly seen on Opuntia.
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Contributed by Robyn Judith Waayers on 31 December, 2004 - 6:27pm
Last updated 28 March, 2005 - 8:02am

Cactus longhorn
This cerambycid is in the genus Moneilma. They specifically eat cactus and can be quite a pest. They don't fly and so you commonly see them walking. They can mimic Tenebrionid beetles (which have chemical defenses) very well. The most common species is M. gigas, but there are others and I don't know how to tell between them. I'll check our collection at UTEP and see if I can get a more specific name.
… Paul Lenhart, 6 March, 2005 - 2:27pm login or register to post comments

 
this species
If it helps, I think I have a specimen of M. gigas in my collection (from Arizona) and this California longhorn seemed smaller and more delicate overall.
… Robyn Judith Waayers, 9 March, 2005 - 10:24am login or register to post comments

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