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Callipogon relictus

(Callipogon relictus)

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Description

Callipogon relictus is a species of longhorn beetle which is mostly found in Korea, but also in China and southern part of Russian Far East. It inhabits mixed and deciduous forests. The population of Callipogon relictus is decreasing due to deforestation and uncontrolled collection, and therefore the species are listed in the Russian Red Book (category II). The larvae of Callipogon relictus develop in the drying deciduous trees. The process takes 4 to 6 years, and the same tree can be populated by larvae several times a year. Larvae bring along spores of the fungus Pleurotus citrinopileatus, that contributes to degradation of the tree. With the length reaching up to 110 mm (4.3 in), Callipogon relictus is the largest beetle of Russia. Larvae of different longhorn beetles can coexist in the same tree, such as Callipogon relictus, Rosalia coelestis, Leptura thoracica, Rhabdoclytus acutivittis, Anoplodera cyanea and several other species. The beetle is a relict and the sole representative of the tropical genus Callipogon in the fauna of the Old World – other species of this genus inhabit Central and South America. The divergence between Callipogon relictus and other species in the genus is estimated to have occurred around 34 million years ago, around the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. Callipogon relictus was described in 1898 by the Russian entomologist Andrey Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky (who wrote his last name as Semyonov until 1906). In Russia Callipogon relictus inhabits Amur Oblast, to the south and south-east of the town Raychikhinsk. It is also common in the Khingan and Norsk reserves, in the south of Khabarovsk Krai (south from Khabarovsk city), Jewish Autonomous Oblast and Primorsky Krai. The northernmost observation was reported near the village of Ekimchan in Amur Oblast. Outside Russia the beetle occurs in north-eastern China, North Korea and South Korea. It is expected that its distribution will increase to the north with climate change. Developed body (imago) is black, with brown elytra and brown-black feet; there are two pairs of bright spots of hair on pronotum. The size and shape of jaws and antennae varies among individuals. Antennae are dotted and rather long. Their first segment is short and thickened. The third segment is extended and is longer than the fourth and fifth segments combined.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Insecta
Order:Coleoptera
Family:Cerambycidae
Genus:Callipogon
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