EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Longhorn Beetle of Mongolia

Longhorn Beetle (cf. Eodorcadion dorcas), Family Cerambycidae
Khovsgol Lake Ashihai, Mongolia

Explanation:  In northern Mongolia, on the shores of scenic Khovsgol Lake next to the Russian border, sits a wonderful campsite.  There, inside our ger, this Longhorn Beetle seemed content to enjoy the muted daylight penetrating the fabric walls. 

I'm unsure of the species, but this specimen is but one of several dozen longhorn beetles occurring in Mongolia (Karpinski et al. 2018).  A relative, the Asian Longhorn, is an invasive species in North America and elsewhere, and can wreak havoc on native and horticultural trees as they lay eggs on the bark and burrow below.  

Information:
     Karpinski L., W.T. Szczepanski, B. Boldgiv, and M. Walczak.  2018.  New data on the longhorn beetles of Mongolia with particular emphasis on the genus Eodorcadion Breuning, 1947 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae).  ZooKeys 739: 107-150. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.739.23675