Phytoecia (Phytoecia) nigricornis (Fabricius, 1781)
[= Phytoecia julii Mulsant, 1862]

Subfamilia: LAMIINAE  /  Tribus: SAPERDINI
Phytoecia nigricornis
[Photo © Daniel Rydzi]

Phytoecia nigricornis, a relatively common Euro-Siberian species widespread from the Russian far East to the Pyrenees, rarefying both northand southwards, has been described from Leipzig environs (Saxony, Germany) as Saperda nigricornis by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1781 [✧]. P. nigricornis is a highly variable species, considered by some authors to be two species - P. nigricornis (Fabricius, 1781) and P. julii Mulsant, 1862. They even report observations that they occur differently on Solidago and Tanacetum. However, it is more likely that the different coloration is affected by the food plant due to mimetism.

P. nigricornis inhabits xerothermic forest edges, forest-steppes, road and road edges, and ruderal localities in general. Development of larvae in the lower parts of the stems and in the roots of asteraceae, in Central Europe very often in tansy (Tanacetum vulgare). Before winter, the larvae bore into the roots, where they overwinter and then pupate in the upper part of the roots or the ground parts of the stems. Young larvae and adults overwinter. Life-cycle 1 - 2 years. Adults, active from May to July, can be found or swept from the host plants [▽][❖].

Body length:6 - 12 mm
Life cycle:1 - 2 years
Adults in:May - July
Host plant:oligophagous in Asteraceae plants (Tanacetum, Artemisia, Solidago, Chrysanthemum)
Distribution:Europe, whole Eurasian continental territory of Russian federation, Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Turkey


The mounted beetles were photographed in Charles Univerisity Botanical Garden (Prague-Albertov, Central Bohemia, Czechia) on May 15, 2017 and in Soutok-Pohansko game reserve (Břeclav district, South Moravia, Czechia) on May 10, 2020.

Collected by Daniel Rydzi


[✧]
Fabricius J.Ch.:
Species insectorum, exhibentes eorum differentias specificas, synonyma auctorum, loca natalia, metamorphosin, adjectis observationibus, descriptionibus. Tom 2. Appendix.
Hamburgi et Kilonii, impensis C. E. Bohnii, pp. 495–517, 1781. [download pdf icon]

[▽]
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 334-335], 1998 [ISBN: 80-238-2627-1]. [download pdf icon]

[❖]
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 125-126], 2018. [download pdf icon]


Phytoecia nigricornis
[Photo © Daniel Rydzi]
Phytoecia nigricornis
Phytoecia nigricornis
[Photo © Daniel Rydzi]


 
SubfamiliaLamiinae Latreille, 1825
TribusSaperdini Mulsant, 1839
GenusPhytoecia Pic, 1892
SubgenusPhytoecia Pic, 1892
SpeciesPhytoecia (Phytoecia) nigricornis (Fabricius, 1781)