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Species Derobrachus hovorei - Palo Verde Root Borer

Palo Verde Root Borer - Derobrachus hovorei Derobrachus hovorei Santos-Silva - Derobrachus hovorei Palo Verde Root Borer - Derobrachus hovorei West Texas Beetle - Derobrachus hovorei Palo Verde Root Borer - Derobrachus hovorei Derobrachus hovorei Derobrachus hovorei Palo Verde Root Borer - Derobrachus hovorei
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 Prioninae
Tribe Prionini
Genus Derobrachus
Species hovorei (Palo Verde Root Borer)
Other Common Names
torito de palo verde
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
This common and widely distributed species has been called "Derobrachus geminatus", but examination of type specimens revealed that the true geminatus refers to a much less common species we have called "Derobrachus forreri" (Santos-Silva, 2007). Rules of nomenclature require that the name geminatus be applied to the less common species (with forreri as a synonym), leaving the common species without a name.
Derobrachus hovorei Santos-Silva is the new name given to this species, which can be distinguished from true D. geminatus (formerly D. forreri) by its more weakly striolate antennae.
Ted MacRae
Syn: Derobrachus geminatus LeConte
Syn: Derobrachus forreri Bates
Explanation of Names
Patronym for Frank T. Hovore (1945-2006)
Numbers
4 spp. n. of Mex. (1)
Size
Length, exclusive of mandibles, 54-66 mm
Identification
Range
CA to TX, NV / n. Mex. (2)
Habitat
upland sp. asso. w/ mesquite and paloverde (Hovore et al. 1987)
Season
mostly: Jun-Aug (BG data)
Food
Larvae feed on roots of living trees: Populus, Quercus, Prosopis, Ulmus, Parkinsonia, Morus, Citrus, Vitis (Hovore et al. 1987)
Remarks
attracted to lights (Hovore et al. 1987)
See Also
Derobrachus spp. - Cerambycidae Catalog
Print References
Chemsak, J.A. & E.G. Linsley. 1977. Review of the Species of Derobrachus Audinet-Serville Occurring in the United States (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 50(4): 508-514. First Page
Hovore, F.T., R.L. Penrose & R.W. Neck. 1987. The Cerambycidae, or longhorned beetles, of southern Texas: a faunal survey (Coleoptera). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 44(13): 283-334, 20 figs.
Santos-Silva, A. 2007. Revisao do genero Derobrachus Audinet-Serville, 1832 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae). Arquivos de Zoologia, 38(1): 1-94.
Vogt, B.G. 1949. Notes on Cerambycidae from the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Pan-Pacific Entomologist 25(3): 137-144; (4): 175-184.
Internet References
species account - Wikipedia
Larval Images - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Blog - Alex Wild
Works Cited
1.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
2.New World Cerambycidae Catalog