Forum Entomologi Italiani

This time my brief illustrated history of meetings with Akimerus schaefferi (LAICHARTING, 1784).

I watched a lot of these beautiful beetles of floating in the trees: oaks (Quercus sp.) and lindens (Tilia sp.)

Czech Republic, Milovice
01 VII 2010, leg., det. A. Woźniak

Hello Adam. I have never seen this species in the Wild. Does it go on flowers like other Lepturinae or not?

_________________
Maurizio Gigli
http://utenti.romascuola.net/bups
http://bup.xoom.it/

ohi... so the cromatic aberrations like this are not exclusive of akimerus schaefferi ariannae?

_________________
Marci
"S'i fosse fuoco, arderei 'l mondo,
S'i fosse vento, lo tempesterei,
S'i fosse acqua, i' l'annegherei
s'i fosse dio, mandereil' en profondo" ( Cecco Angiolieri).

I have collected 2 specimens, all females but I never saw them on the flowers.

_________________
Ciao
Adrian

Hi Adam
My sincerely compliments for your nice picture of this beauty and his habitat.
You never tried out to catch they with wine traps onto the trees?

_________________
Claudio Deiaco
_____________________________________

Thank you Friends for your replies!

Maurizio & Adrian:
I've never seen or heard that someone else had seen this species on flowers of herbaceous plants.
But he is flying around flowering lindens (Tilia spp.)!

Marcello:
Akimerus schaeferi ariannae is known so far only from Greece.
We do not know what is the range of this subspecies. I'm not sure what to really think?

Claudio:
I have not tried this, but it's a very interesting idea!
Such a trap would be necessary to put high in the treetops.

Exactely.. Try with banana-white Wine-sugar shake, let it brew for some days in sunny place, than it should work fine.
Just in case.....you get a lot of Akimerus, well, set me in queue for one.

_________________
Claudio Deiaco
_____________________________________

In France, A. schaefferi is common in well known forests in wine traps (you have to hang them at different level (from 1,5m to 4m) if you want to have males and females).

Stéphane

I'll try to apply this trap this year in Georgia and Greece, where going on a trip entomologic.

And on the specimen Akimerus talk to you in private messages.

So has just suspect.
Akimerus likes to fly high, so the traps also need to hang at the correct height on the tree.

Sorry i just mean that variability with black specimen i thought was typical of ariannae!

_________________
Marci
"S'i fosse fuoco, arderei 'l mondo,
S'i fosse vento, lo tempesterei,
S'i fosse acqua, i' l'annegherei
s'i fosse dio, mandereil' en profondo" ( Cecco Angiolieri).

Among longhorn beetles there are many subspecies of unclear statutes.
It is well known their location, extent and possible coexistence of subspecies nominative.
In my opinion, to such dubious subspecies should just A. schaefferi ariannae. Further research on the distribution and variability prove whether it is a good taxon?

One intersting piece, from the same locality Leg. and Coll. one my friend.

IMHO I think - no exist A. schaefferi ssp. ariannae and A. schaefferi ssp. schaefferi. Exist one ssp. only. In Meteora people can to catch the same "brown" pieces, like in our country,...

Sometimes Akimerus sitting on some flowers, but - this is an accident only (very probably).

Well done Martin, a very interesting specimen!

Females A. schaefferi be very variably colored.
A coloring is not enough to stand subspecies!

Hi Adam,
I agree with you, the color is not enough to describe a subspecies or a species. Anyway when the color is always different it is a good character. Akimerus schafferi ariannae is described after other distinctive characters, for example the tooth at the apex of the hind tibiae in males, evidently longer then in schaefferi schaefferi. I think that it is a good subspecies, not strong but distinct.