Cyrtoclytus

Cyrtoclytus

Few longhorn beetles achieve the striking wasp mimicry of *Cyrtoclytus*, whose boldly fasciate elytra and slender, cylindrical body create a remarkably convincing Batesian deception. Adults are most readily encountered on sunlit dead wood and flowers during late spring and early summer, where they may pass unnoticed among true vespids. Larvae develop over one to two years in the dead or dying branches of broadleaved trees, beginning life beneath the bark before boring deeper into the sapwood after their first winter. In Central and South-eastern Europe the genus is associated with structurally rich, mixed deciduous woodland on warm, south-facing slopes, with development recorded in stems onl…

Seasonal activity

Flight season: Summer

Green = active months · Orange = peak

Host plants

Primary hosts: oak pine beech

External resources

GBIF · Wikidata · Käfer der Welt

Field tip: Wasp mimic! On sun-exposed wood and flowers. Hosts: Quercus.