New data on distribution, biology, and ecology of longhorn beetles from the area of west Tajikistan (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae)
Author
Kadyrov, Abdysalom Kh.
Author
Karpinski, Lech
Author
Szczepanski, Wojciech T.
Author
Taszakowski, Artur
Author
Walczak, Marcin
text
ZooKeys
2016
606
41
64
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.606.9190
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.606.9190
1313-2970-606-41
97DF23C828994B22B61332E19159DB99
Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cerambycidae
Neoplocaederus scapularis (Fischer von Waldheim, 1821)
Fig. 1E, F
Material
examined.
Region of Republican Subordination, Romit [
Romit
], a river valley, at light (
38°46'N
,
69°16'E
), 1283 m, 26 VI 2014, 1♂, leg. WTS; 1♂, 2♀♀, leg. LK.
Region of Republican Subordination, Takob [
Takob
], an alpine meadow, on
Ferula
sp., (
38°49'N
,
68°56'E
), 1850-1900 m, 9 VII 2014, 1♂, leg. WTS; 3♀♀, leg. LK.
It is distributed in several countries of Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, and western China (
Kadyrov 2007
,
Danilevsky 2016
). It is a common species in Tajikistan and occurs everywhere its host plant ferule (
Ferula
spp.) grows (
Kadyrov 2007
). In Tajikistan, the genus
Ferula
consists of nearly 40 species (
Safarov 2003
). According to
Plavilstshikov (1940)
, larvae of
Neoplocaederus scapularis
may also develop in species of the genus
Scorodosma
. The larvae primarily feed on the rhizomes and roots of these plants and their development usually takes a year, sometimes even two (
Plavilstshikov 1940
). Pupation takes place in calcareous cocoons in the soil (
Svacha
and Danilevsky 1988
). The adults appear and feed on the flowers or stems of the host plants from the end of April to July, depending on the local altitude (
Kadyrov 2007
).
The beetles are probably active in the evening and at night. We only observed adults on the ferule (Fig. 3G, H) in the early morning, due to the fact that the beetles still had not managed to hide after the night. Moreover, during the research, imagines were often attracted to an artificial light source.