top of page

Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Ribbon Longhorn Beetle
Hippopsis lemniscata

-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)​

-​Flat-faced Longhorn Beetles (Subfamily Lamiinae)

-Tribe Agapanthiini

-Genus Hippopsis

-Ribbon Longhorn Beetle (Hippopsis lemniscata)


Hippopsis is a genus of flat-faced longhorn beetles in the family Cerambycidae The Hippopsis genus includes various species, one of which is known as the flat-faced longhorn beetle, and are characterized by their distinctive body shape and long antennae. Adult Hippopsis beetles primarily feed on the bark or leaves of trees and shrubs. Their larvae, known as woodborers, typically develop inside dead or decaying wood, where they feed on the wood tissue.

Diet

  • Adults: Primarily feed on bark, sap, foliage and tender plant tissues, although adult feeding is limited or poorly documented in this species.

  • Larvae: Wood-boring, developing inside branches and stems of woody plants, where they tunnel through the vascular tissues and sapwood.

Range

  • Hippopsis lemniscata is a Neotropical longhorn beetle, occurring from Mexico through Central America and into northern South America.

  • It is associated with tropical and subtropical regions of Mexico, including the Pacific coast and Guerrero.

  • The species occurs in the broader Zihuatanejo region.

Habitat

  • Found in tropical dry forest, tropical deciduous forest, woodland, scrub, forest edges and secondary vegetation.

  • Larvae develop within living or weakened woody stems and branches.

  • Adults are commonly encountered on tree trunks, branches and foliage, where their elongated, bark-like bodies provide effective camouflage.

Size

  • Adult length: approximately 15–25 mm (0.6–1.0 in).

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

  • Usually brown or grey with contrasting longitudinal bands or stripes, giving the beetle a resemblance to bark or lichen.

bottom of page