Cerambyx cerdo

Great capricorn beetle

Description

One of the largest beetles in Europe. Adult beetles are 24 to 53 mm long, with a blackish body and legs. Male antennae are twice as long as the body, while those of the female extend to the elytral apex. Females of several generations lay eggs on the same tree trunk which is later on bored by a maze of galleries. The larva feeds subcortically during the first year and moves into wood and sapwood in the second year. Larval galleries are long, irregular and widen as the larvae increase in size. A large amount of woodchips accumulates at bottom of the trunk. Pupation occurs in the sapwood (approximately 80 mm deep) in a large, elongate, oval pupal cell. Exit holes are oval, up to 2 cm in diameter. The species does not attack healthy trees but technically damages wood of dying trees. It develops in old oak stands or in old solitary trees.

Symptom

Larval galleries are long, irregular and widen as the larvae increase in size. A large amount of woodchips accumulates at bottom of the trunk. Huge exit holes on stems.

Tree Species: Oak

Part of a plant- attacked: Tree trunk

Pest significance: Harmful

Pest Category: Insects

Invasive Species: No

Present in EU: Yes