Acanthocinus (Acanthocinus) griseus (Fabricius, 1793)

Subfamilia: LAMIINAE  /  Tribus: ACANTHOCININI
Acanthocinus griseus
[Photo © Kirill V. Makarov, click on the picture for 4K resolution]

Acanthocinus griseus is widespread species of coniferous, mainly spruce forests of all categories. Larval development under bark of weakened, uprooted, freshly felled or even standing trees with fresh phloem. Data on the development of larvae in completely dry wood is not based on reality, the wood must contain at least a little moisture. The species usually attacks wood that has already been attacked by bark beetles (particularly by Ips typographus and Ips duplicatus, less often Pityogenes chalcographus). A. griseus generally prefers trunks of larger diameter, but infests also relatively thin branches. The larvae create during feeding flat galleries, clogging them with frass and later with splinters, or toss feeding residues out through the holes. Pupation in a shallow flat pupal cell 10-15 mm below the surface of the wood, less often directly under the bark, or directly in a thick bark (in Pinus). The entrance/exit holes are oval, clogged with ca 6 mm long splinters. Life cycle (with overwintering larvae) one or two years, apparently according to local and temperature conditions. Adults, emerging from May to August, are during daylight hidden on the wood underside, in crevices and under bark scales, rarely running over the bark. Crepuscular/nocturnal species, often attracted to light [✮].

Body length:8 - 13 mm
Life cycle:1 - 2 years
Adults in:April - August
Host plant:mainly in coniferous trees (Pinus, Picea, Abies), reported from oak (Quercus)
Distribution:Europe, Russia, Asia Minor


The mounted beetles were collected in Pavlovskaya Sloboda (Павловская Слобода) village environs (Istrinsky district, Moscow oblast, Central Federal District, Russia) on June 25, 2012. The depicted living beetles were: (IP) - collected in Estepona environs (Sierra Bermeja, Málaga province, Andalusia, Spain) on May 2, 2004 and reared from larvae found in: (MP/ML) - a dead silver fir (Abies alba) in Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area (Central Bohemia, Czechia); (DR) - Lopate Nature Reserve (Milínov environs, Plzeň-jih district, West Bohemia, Czechia) on October 30, 2019.

Collected by our friends Kirill V. Makarov, Ismael Pérez, Miroslav Polcar and Daniel Rydzi


[✮]
Sláma M.E.F.:
Tesaříkovití – Cerambycidae České republiky a Slovenské republiky / Cerambycidae of the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic.
Milan Sláma private printing, Krhanice, 383pp [pages 298-299], 1998 [ISBN: 80-238-2627-1]. [download pdf icon]


Acanthocinus griseus
Acanthocinus griseus
Acanthocinus griseus
[Photo © Ismael Pérez]
Acanthocinus griseus
[Photo © Milan Lovětínský]
Acanthocinus griseus
Acanthocinus griseus
Acanthocinus griseus
Acanthocinus griseus
[Photo © Milan Lovětínský]
Acanthocinus griseus
Acanthocinus griseus
[Photo © Daniel Rydzi]


 
SubfamiliaLamiinae Latreille, 1825
Tribus Acanthocinini Blanchard, 1845
GenusAcanthocinus Dejean, 1821
SubgenusAcanthocinus Dejean, 1821
SpeciesAcanthocinus (Acanthocinus) griseus (Fabricius, 1793)