CROATIAN FAUNA 2005 - LONG-HORNED BEETLE

Long-horned Beetle - Rosalia alpina (L.) The long-horned beetle belongs to the insect family Cerambycidae (long-antennal, long-horned beetles) of the Coleoptera order. It is the only species of the family Rosalia in the expansion area. In Croatia the species has become thinned out due to excessive extermination and the change of life conditions in their habitats, consequently it was pronounced a protected species. It dwells in mountainous areas of beech forests. We find adult insects from June to September. The long-horned beetle is a diurnal insect, active in sunny weather. The species is spread all over the southern part of Central Europe, Southern Europe and Northern Africa. In the northern part of Central Europe the species has become extinct. The long-horned beetle is an insect 15 – 38 mm in length. The basic colour of its body is dark, thickly covered with blue-white downy hairs, so they seem to be greyish-blue. There is a little black spot placed in the middle of the front edge of the thoracic shield, and on both sides there are two upright barbs. On the forewings there are three pairs of dark stripes – the middle one being the largest and widest, the one in the back the smallest one. This spotted quality is quite varied in each individual insect. On its prominent head there are placed pronouncedly long, black-and-white antennae. It has three pairs of long thin legs. Adult insect feed on plant juices. The female lays its eggs under the bark of old beech trees or cut down trunks and stumps. The development of the larva lasts between three and up to nine years.