House longhorn beetle - House longhorn beetle

An insect belonging to the family Cerambycidae in the order Coleoptera of the class Insecta. It is found in the tropical oriental regions south of Amami Oshima, where it feeds on the wood of houses and furniture. It is 15-25 mm long and is covered with brown, grayish-white short hairs that give it a dull shine, but the upper wings are covered with coarse granules and the pronotum is roughly wrinkled. The antennae of males are nearly twice as long as the body, while those of females are about the same length. They appear from June to August and are active at night, laying eggs in clusters in cracks in wood. The larvae develop slowly, taking up to four years to reach adulthood, and feed on the insides of house pillars and beams. In the tropical regions, it is the second most common pest of houses after termites.

[Takehiko Nakane]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱甲虫目カミキリムシ科に属する昆虫。奄美(あまみ)大島以南の東洋熱帯域に分布し、家屋の木材や家具材などを食害する。体長15～25ミリメートルで、褐色で灰白色の短毛に覆われて光沢が鈍いが、上ばねは粗い顆粒(かりゅう)を一面に散布し、前胸背には粗いしわがある。触角は雄では体長の2倍近いが、雌では体長ぐらいである。6～8月に現れ夜間活動し、材の割れ目などに卵をまとめて産む。幼虫は発育が遅く、成虫になるまで4年もかかり、家の柱や梁(はり)などの内部を食害する。熱帯域ではシロアリに次ぐ家屋の害虫である。

［中根猛彦］

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