Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Longhorn and Leaf Beetles (Chrysomeloidea) » Longhorn Beetles (Cerambycidae) » Flat-faced Longhorn Beetles (Lamiinae) » Phytoeciini » Mecas » Mecas cineracea

Species Mecas cineracea

Mecas cineracea ? small, purple in sunlight - Mecas cineracea

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)

Superfamily Chrysomeloidea (Longhorn and Leaf Beetles)

Family Cerambycidae (Longhorn Beetles)

Subfamily Lamiinae (Flat-faced Longhorn Beetles)

Tribe Phytoeciini

Genus Mecas

Species cineracea (Mecas cineracea)

Explanation of Names

Mecas cineracea Casey 1913

cineracea = 'ashy'

Size

6-11 mm(1)

Identification

Uniformly pale pubescence, tarsal claw teeth of unequal length(1)

Almost identical to the slightly larger M. confusa (KS-TX; possibly further east) in which tarsal claw teeth are of equal length(1)

Range

Great Plains (ND-IL to AZ-TX) / n. Mex. - Map (2)(3)(4)

Habitat

common in roadside stands of Asteraceae in c. TX(2)

Food

Larvae feed in the stems of living Asteraceae. Adults have been collected sweeping many plants (5)

Remarks

Many historical records of ‘M. inornata’ likely refer to this species(3)

Internet References

Cerambycidae Catalog

Works Cited

1.	Field Guide to Northeastern Longhorned Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Douglas Yanega. 1996. Illinois Natural History Survey.

2.	The Cerambycidae, or longhorned beetles, of southern Texas: a faunal survey (Coleoptera) Hovore F.T., Penrose R.L., Neck R.W. 1987. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 44: 283-334.

3.	Biological and distributional observations on North American Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) MacRae T.C., Rice M.E. 2007. Col. Bull. 61: 227–263.

4.	Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

5.	Illustrated Key to the Longhorned Woodboring Beetles of the Eastern United States Steven W. Lingafelter. 2008. Coleopterists Society.

Contributed by Tom Bentley on 28 June, 2007 - 10:08am
Additional contributions by Mike Quinn, v belov
Last updated 1 June, 2023 - 11:28pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by: