Brachyta variabilis, a nominative subspecies occuring in Russia (North and Central European Territory, Far East, West and East Siberia) and Kazakhstan,
has been described as Leptura variabilis from Siberia by Friedrich August Gebler in 1817 [▽]. Larvae of this remarkable beetle develop in the living roots of the milkweed
Euphorbia pilosa, pupation occurs in pupal cells in the soil. Life cycle 3 years, some larvae pupate in late August-September after the second overwintering, but majority of the adult larvae pupate
during spring (in May) after the third one. The adults, active from May to August, are diurnal and can be found on the host plants and flowers [✧].
| Body length: | ♂♂ 11 - 17 mm / ♀♀ 13 - 19 mm |
| Life cycle: | 3 years |
| Adults in: | May - August |
| Host plant: | Euphorbia pilosa |
| Distribution: | Russia, Kazakhstan [✧] |
The depicted beetle was collected in Mondy (Монды/Моондо) village environs (Sayan Mts., Tunkinsky District, Buryatia, Far Eastern Federal District, Russia) on June 1-10, 2010.
[▽]
Gebler F.A.:
Insecta Siberiae rariora, descripsit. Fridericus Gebler. M. D. Decas prima.
Mémoires de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou 5: 315-333, 1817.
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[✧]
Danilevsky M.L.:
Longicorn beetles (Coleoptera, Cerambycoidea) of Russia and adjacent countries. Part 1.
Higher School Consulting, Moscow, 550pp [page 120], 2014.
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Tshernyshev S.E. and Dubatolov V.V.:
К познанию рода Brachyta Fairmaire, 1864 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) Сибири и Дальнего Востока / Contribution to our knowledge of the genus Brachyta Fairmaire, 1864 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) of Siberia and the Far East.
Euroasian Entomological Journal 4 (1): 43-51, 2005.
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