Polycaon stoutii
Polycaon stoutii, the black polycaon or Stout's branch borer, is a species of woodboring beetle in the Bostrichidae family.[1] It is found in North America in British Columbia, the Pacific Coast states, and Arizona, but has spread elsewhere due to the shipping of wood products.[2]
| Polycaon stoutii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Bostrichidae |
| Genus: | Polycaon |
| Species: | P. stoutii |
| Binomial name | |
| Polycaon stoutii (LeConte, 1853) | |
Relationship with wood
P. stoutii breeds in hardwoods. The female bores into the wood and lays its eggs in a tunnel. Usually, these host trees are dead or dying, but they are reported to bore into healthy ones as well. Recorded host trees include redwood, coast live oak, maple, manzanita, madrone, California laurel, sycamore, hickory, mahogany, ash, and various fruit trees. Infestation can occur before the trees have been harvested or in a lumberyard.[3][2]
Larvae develop inside the wood for at least a year, but can remain there for over twenty years before emerging as adults. They are known for occasionally emerging from wooden furniture.[2][3]
Description
Adults are 10-23 mm in length. They are cylindrical, hairy, and black. Their heads are slightly downturned.[4]
References
- "Species Polycaon stoutii - Black Polycaon". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- Seybold, Steven J.; Wood, David L. (1993). "Extended development of Polycaon stoutii (Leconte) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)". The Pan-Pacific entomologist. 69 (1): 33–35. ISSN 2162-0237.
- Middlekauf, W W (1974). "Delayed emergence of Polycaon stoutii Lec. from furniture and interior woodwork. (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae)". The Pan-Pacific entomologist. 50 (4): 416–417. ISSN 2162-0237.
- Will, Kip; Gross, Joyce; Rubinoff, Daniel; Powell, Jerry A. (2020). Field Guide to California Insects. Oakland, California: University of California Press. pp. 228–229. ISBN 9780520288744.
Further reading
- Borowski, Jerzy; Wegrzynowicz, Piotr (2007). World Catalogue of Bostrichidae (Coleoptera). Wydawnictwo Mantis. ISBN 9788392618218.
- Lobl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2007). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Volume 4: Elateroidea - Derodontoidea - Bostrichoidea - Lymexyloidea - Cleroidea - Cucujoidea. Apollo Books. ISBN 978-8788757675.