Tuart Longicorn Beetle
and holes made in branch

The tuart longicorn beetle Phoracantha impavida is a native beetle in the Cerambycidae family. It is up to 2 cm long with long antennae that reach to the back legs. The adult beetles are active from October to December, flying at night and sometimes attracted to light. They are active for several weeks and then mate, with the female laying eggs in the thinner bark of tree branches, usually but not always tuarts. The adults then die, and the eggs hatch soon after. The larva is off-white and wrinkled. It burrows through the bark, often ringbarking the branch. It may feed on the tree for 12 months, and usually chews its way out when it reaches adulthood, leaving oval exit holes about 20mm in diameter.

Return to Interactive Tuart Tree

Information Source: Tuarts and Tuart Communities, ed V Longman & B Keighery, p. 305

 

 

 

Website development funded by a Department of Environment and Conservation Community Grant for Tuart Conservation and Management. Text and images copyright Friends of Trigg Bushland Inc except as otherwise noted. Website design by Nina McLaren and Peter Peacock 2008