Australian Longhorn Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Volume 1 Introduction and Subfamily Lamiinae

About this book

Longhorn Beetles – Cerambycidae are one of the most easily recognised groups of beetles, a family that worldwide encompasses over 33,000 species in 5200 genera. With over 1400 species classified in 300 genera, this is the sixth largest among 117 beetle families in Australia.

These beetles often attack and kill living forest or orchard trees and develop in construction timber (like European House borer, introduced to WA), causing serious damages. Virtually all Cerambycidae feed on living or dead plant tissues and play a significant role in all terrestrial environments where plants are found. Larvae often utilise damaged or dead trees for their development, and through feeding on rotten wood form an important element of the saproxylic fauna, speeding energy circulation in these habitats. Many species are listed as quarantine pests because of their destructive role to the timber industry.

Australian Longhorn Beetles, Volume 1 provides a general introduction to the Australian Cerambycidae with sections on biology, phylogeny and morphology of adult and larvae, followed by the keys to the subfamilies and an overview of the 74 genera of the subfamily Lamiinae occurring in Australia. All Lamiinae genera are diagnosed, described and illustrated and an illustrated key to their identification is provided. A full listing of all included Australian species with synonymies and bibliographic citations is also included.

Contents

Abstract
Acknowledgements
Material and methods
Family Cerambycidae
Introduction
Morphology of adult beetles
Morphology of larvae and pupae
Biology and ecology
Economic importance
Geographic distribution
Phylogeny and classification
Australian Cerambycidae
History of research
Higher classification of Australian Cerambycidae
Diagnosis of Family Cerambycidae
Keys to subfamilies of Australian Cerambycidae
Adults
Larvae
Subfamily Lamiinae
Classification of Australian Lamiinae
Diagnosis of Subfamily Lamiinae
Key to adults of genera of Lamiinae in Australia
Review of the Australian genera of Lamiinae
Lamiinae figures
Appendix 1: New synonymies
Appendix 2: New generic combinations proposed for Australian species
Appendix 3: Type specimens, Australian and extra-Australian
Bibliography
Index of scientific names

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Biography

Adam Ślipiński did his PhD and DSc in Poland where he worked for 20 years at the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw and held a joint appointment as the professor of biology at the University of Zielona Gora teaching entomology and environmental biology. He has been a research scientist at the Australian National Insect Collection for the last 13 years. He is the author of over 160 research publications, editor of a two-volume book on the phylogeny and classification of beetles and an author of a book on Australian ladybird beetles. Adam’s research concentrates on the phylogeny and higher classification of beetles.

Hermes Escalona earned his PhD in Entomology from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in 2012. He is interested in systematics, evolution, and historical biogeography of Coleoptera, with a current focus on Longhorns beetles (Cerambycidae) and small beetle families within Cucujiformia. He is currently affiliated with the Museo del Instituto de Zoología Agrícola-UCV and is a visiting scientist at the Australian National Insect Collection working with Adam Ślipiński on the Australian Cerambycidae.