Round-necked longhorns

Description

Clytus rhamni is a species of round-necked longhorns belonging to the family Cerambycidae, subfamily Cerambycinae. This common beetle is present in most of Europe (Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Republic of North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine) in the eastern Palearctic realm, Caucasus, North Kazakhstan, This species occurs almost everywhere, but especially in meadows, in shrubs, in glades of wood, orchards and along paths. Clytus rhamni can reach a body length of about 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in). Head, pronotum and elytra are brownish or black. Males show a pronotum relatively fine and simply dotted, while females are coarser dotted. Elytra are only thinly dotted and more or less glossy. Antennae and legs are red-yellow, but the hind legs are darker. The elytrae are crossed by light yellow stripes, as this beetle imitates, for defensive purposes, like other species of the genus Clytus, the chromatic variety of wasps. Bicolor tibiae distinguish Clytus rhamni bellieri subspecies. This species is very similar to Clytus arietis. Adults can be encountered from May through August, completing their life cycle in two year. These polyphagous beetles develop in dead wood of various deciduous trees. The images fly the second year. Larvae mainly feed in the dead wood of small branches of Rhamnus (hence the specific name), Castanea, Quercus, Ficus, Ulmus, Pyrus, Prunus species. The adults are very common flower-visitors. Clytus is a genus of longhorn beetles in the family Cerambycidae.