Moneilema
Also known as the Cactus longhorn beetle genus
Moneilema, or cactus longhorn beetles are a genus of large, flightless, black beetles found in North American deserts of the western United States and northern Mexico. M. gigas is native to the Sonoran Desert at elevations below 4900 feet (1500 m). The front wings of these beetles are fused forming a single, hardened shell, from which the genus derives its Latin name. The genus includes twenty species.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- ClassInsecta
- OrderColeoptera
- FamilyCerambycidae
Moneilema is een kevergeslacht uit de familie van de boktorren (Cerambycidae). De wetenschappelijke naam van het geslacht werd voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1824 door Say.
via GBIF
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Article
3 sectionsContents
- Species
- References
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Moneilema, or cactus longhorn beetles are a genus of large, flightless, black beetles found in North American deserts of the western United States and northern Mexico. M. gigas is native to the Sonoran Desert at elevations below 4900 feet (1500 m). The front wings of these beetles are fused forming a single, hardened shell, from which the genus derives its Latin name. The genus includes twenty species.
Longhorn cactus beetles feed on chollas and prickly pear cacti and are known to feed on saguaro seedlings. Larvae bore into cactus roots and stems, sometimes killing more susceptible individuals. Adults also feed on the surface of cacti.