Arhopalus rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
ssp. rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
[= Callidium triste Fabricius, 1787]
[= Cerambyx (Callidium) lugubris Gmelin, 1790]
[= Cerambyx fuscus Voet, 1806]
[= Criocephalus pachymerus Mulsant, 1839]
[= Criocephalum coriaceum Motschulsky, 1845]
[= Criocephalus rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758)]

Subfamilia: SPONDYLIDINAE  /  Tribus: ASEMINI

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[Photo © David Navrátil, click on the picture for 4K resolution]

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Arhopalus rusticus rusticus is a common species in pine forests of Europe, Asia and North Africa. It also develops in other coniferous tress (Picea, Abies, Larix) but Pinus is preferred. The larvae feed subcortically, later in hardwood of dead hosts. Adults are active during night and can be found on the hosts or sometimes they are attracted to the lights [❖][✧].

Arhopalus rusticus has been described from "Europa" as Cerambyx rusticus by Carl Linné in 1758 [✮].

A. rusticus rusticus is often misdetermined as A. ferus (Mulsant, 1839), which principally differs from this species in the more reddish and parallel-sided body [a], a furrow at each side of the pronotal disc [b], the deeply bilobed metatarsomere III in males and hairs on compound eyes [d].

Body length:	♂♂ 10 – 25 mm / ♀♀ 14 - 29 mm
Life cycle:	2 (3) years
Adults in:	June – October
Host plant:	pines (Pinus), rarely in other coniferous trees
Distribution:	Algeria, Morocco, almost entire Europe, China, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey

The mounted specimens were collected in Col de Clavel environs (N43°44′58″ E06°37′49″; 1077 m a.s.l., La Bastide, Var department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France) on July 21, 2016.

The depicted living beetle were photographed: (R) in Ráj crossing environs (Kokořínský důl Nature Reserve, Mělník district, Central Bohemia, Czechia) on June 12, 2016; (P) in Ptačí důl – Ostré (Úštěk environs, Litoměřice district, Ústí nad Labem Region, Czechia) on August 7, 2015.

Collected by David Navrátil and Daniel Rydzi

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[❖]
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 80-81], 1998 [ISBN: 80-238-2627-1]. [download ]

[✧]
Vitali F.:
Atlas of the Insects of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg: Coleoptera, Cerambycidae.
Ferrantia, Musée national d’histoire naturelle, Luxembourg 79: 1-208 [pages 105-106], 2018. [download ]

[✮]
Linné C.:
Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis.
Systema naturae (Editio 10) Laur. Salvius, Holmiae 1: 824pp [page 395], 1758. [download ]

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	[a] A comparison of male silhouettes of Arhopalus rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Arhopalus ferus (Mulsant, 1839)
	[b] A comparison of pronotum in Arhopalus rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Arhopalus ferus (Mulsant, 1839). Two distinct furrows on the pronotal disc in A. rusticus together with the different width/height ratios of the both taxa pronota are clearly visible.
	[c] A comparison of male hind tarsi of Arhopalus rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Arhopalus ferus (Mulsant, 1839) A. rusticus: Third segment of tarsus (metatarsomere III) incised almost to base A. ferus: Third segment of tarsus (metatarsomere III) incised apically to about 1/3-1/2 its total length [Photo © David Navrátil]
[click on the picture better resolution]	[d] A comparison of composed eyes of Arhopalus rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Arhopalus ferus (Mulsant, 1839). Eyes of Arhopalus rusticus are distinctively pubescent. [Photo © David Navrátil]

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R [Photo © Daniel Rydzi]

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P [Photo © Daniel Rydzi]

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Subfamilia	Spondylidinae Audinet-Serville, 1832
Tribus	Asemini Thomson, 1860
Genus	Arhopalus Audinet-Serville, 1834
Species	Arhopalus rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies	Arhopalus rusticus rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758)