California Prionus

Subject:  Big Beatle
Geographic location of the bug:  United states southern California, Rancho Cucamonga
Date: 06/10/2020
Time: 12:35 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hello,
We came home to find this guy in our driveway. He wasabout 2 inches long with long antennae and a dark red/marrone/brown color. Do you know what kind of Beatle he is?
How you want your letter signe:  The Davies

California Prionus

Dear Davies,
June and July are the months we receive most North American Prionid sightings, a subfamily of especially large Long-Horned Borer Beetles.  This is a California Prionus or California Root Borer, Prionus californicus, and according to BugGuide:  “Larva feed primarily on living deciduous trees (oaks, madrone, cottonwood) and are also recorded from roots of vines, grasses, and decomposing hardwoods and conifers. Will also attack fruit trees growing on light, well-drained soils (e.g. apple, cherry, peach).”

The post California Prionus appeared first on What's That Bug?.