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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) » Monochamini » Sawyers (Monochamus) » White-spotted Sawyer (Monochamus scutellatus)

Species Monochamus scutellatus - White-spotted Sawyer

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited
Monochamus Sawyer Beetle - Monochamus scutellatus Beetle - need id - Monochamus scutellatus Monochamus scutellatus oregonensis - Monochamus scutellatus - male Black beetle - Monochamus scutellatus White-spotted Sawyer - Monochamus scutellatus - male Unknown Long-horned Beetle - Monochamus scutellatus Whitespotted Sawyer - Monochamus scutellatus White-Spotted Sawyer - Monochamus scutellatus - female
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 Monochamini
Genus Monochamus (Sawyers)
Species scutellatus (White-spotted Sawyer)
Other Common Names
Longicorne noir (French), Oil Sands Beetle, Tar Sands Beetle
Explanation of Names
Monochamus scutellatus (Say 1824)
Size
Adults are 18-25mm(1)
Identification
scutellum contrasting white
Range
much of Canada and n US, southward in Appalachians
Habitat
Coniferous forests
Food
Needles and tender bark of white pine, the favorite, but will attack red and jack pines, balsam, fir, white, black and red spruces, and larch(1)
Life Cycle
Two-year life cycle. Larvae excavates galleries in coniferous trees, often after they are damaged by a fire, storm, etc. Common hosts are: Balsam fir, spruces and white pine

Eggs are laid in slits or niches chewed in the bark, near scars or in wrinkled areas.(1)
Remarks
The local (to Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada) common names of Oil Sands Beetle and Tar Sands Beetle are due to the attraction of this insect to oil sands. Apparently the attraction is the scent of bitumen, chemically similar to compounds released by the diseased or damaged coniferous trees where they are attracted to lay their eggs.
See Also
Anoplophora glabripennis
Internet References
Fact sheet(2)
Works Cited
1.Eastern Forest Insects
Whiteford L. Baker. 1972. U.S. Department of Agriculture · Forest Service.
2.Field guide to common insect pests of urban trees in the Northeast
Hanson T., Walker E. 2002. Waterbury, VT: Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. 35 pp.
Contributed by Cotinis on 27 September, 2004 - 2:11pm
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, Lynette Elliott, McClarinJ, Bbarnd, Mike Quinn, Nick Block, v belov, Marci Hess
Last updated 29 July, 2023 - 1:02pm

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