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Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Ceresium unicolor
Ceresium unicolor

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Beetles (Order Coleoptera​​)

-​Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf, and Snout Beetles (Suborder Polyphaga)

-​Cucujiform Beetles (Infraorder Cucujiformia)

-Longhorn Beetles (Family Cerambycidae)​

-​Round-necked Longhorn Beetles (Subfamily Cerambycinae)

-Tribe Callidiopini

-Genus Ceresium

-Ceresium unicolor


Ceresium unicolor is a species of beetle belonging to the family Cerambycidae, commonly known as longhorn beetles. This beetle is characterized by its uniform coloration, which is usually a shade of brown. Adult beetles feed on the foliage of trees and shrubs, while the larvae develop inside the wood of various host plants, contributing to their ecological role as decomposers.

Diet

  • Larvae: Feed within the wood of dead, dying, or weakened trees and branches, tunnelling through the bark, cambium, and sapwood.

  • Adults: Feed primarily on pollen, nectar, tree sap, and tender plant tissues, although adult feeding varies and may be limited.

Range

  • Ceresium unicolor is a Neotropical longhorn beetle found in Mexico, Central America, and parts of northern South America.

  • In Mexico, it occurs in tropical and subtropical regions, including the Pacific slope and Guerrero.

  • It may be encountered in the Zihuatanejo region where suitable woody habitat occurs.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, tropical deciduous forests, tropical rainforests, secondary forests, woodland edges, and disturbed wooded areas.

  • Larvae develop inside dead branches, fallen logs, stumps, and weakened trees.

  • Adults are typically found on tree trunks, branches, foliage, and occasionally flowers.

Size

  • Adult length: approximately 10–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in).

  • Body elongated and cylindrical, with moderately long antennae characteristic of Cerambycidae.


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