Morimus asper is a species of beetle in family Cerambycidae.
| Morimus asper | |
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| Morimus asper | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Cerambycidae |
| Genus: | Morimus |
| Species: | M. asper
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| Binomial name | |
| Morimus asper (Sulzer, 1776)
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| Synonyms | |
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Etymology
editThe genus name "Morimus" derives from the Greek word "μόριμος" or "mórimos", meaning "destined to die", while the Latin species name "asper" (meaning "rough") refers to the surface of the elytra.
Subspecies
edit- Morimus asper asper (Sulzer, 1767)
- Morimus asper funereus Mulsant, 1863
- Morimus asper ganglbaueri Reitter, 1884
- Morimus asper verecundus (Faldermann, 1836)
Description
editMorimus asper can reach a length of 15–40 millimetres (0.59–1.57 in). This large and massive longhorn beetle has a black, elongated and oval body with very short, gray-brown hair and elytra are grainy over the entire surface. Males have more developed antennae. The subspecies Morimus asper funereus has gray-blue elytra with dark spots. The larvae are polyphagous, feeding mainly on deciduous and coniferous trees.
Adults can be found from March to October. They feed on bark, leaves and stems. Usually they hide during the day. Mating and oviposition take places mainly in the evening and at night, when they are active. Fights between the males with severe damages are common.
Distribution
editThis species is widespread in Southwestern, South and Southestern Europe (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Corsica, Croatia, France, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Sardinia, Sicily, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Belarus and Ukraine), and Turkmenistan.
In Spain it occupies the northern fringe between the provinces of Aragon, Asturias, Burgos, Catalonia, Navarre and the Basque Country.[1]
References
edit- Biolib
- Fauna Europaea
- Worldwide Cerambycoidea Photo Gallery
- Müller, Josef 1949: "I Coleotteri della Venezia Giulia. Catalogo ragionato, Vol. II: Coleoptera Phytophaga" Trieste Centro Sperimentale Agrario e Forestale publicazione n.4 1953,
- ^ Romero-Samper, J.; Bahülo, P. (1993). "Algunas observaciones sobre la distribución y biología de Morimus asper (Sulzer, 1776) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) en la Península Ibérica" (PDF). Boletín de la Asociación Española de Entomología. 17: 103–122. ISSN 0210-8984. Retrieved 22 April 2017.