Common Name: Cottonwood Borer
Scientific Name: Plectrodera scalator
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Cerambycidae
Genus: Plectrodera
Species: P. scalator
The Cottonwood Borer is the largest member of the cerambycidae family. This species feeds primarily on the cottonwood, willow and poplar trees. The adults have chewing mouthparts that are used to eat leaf stems and new twigs of the tree. The Cottonwood Borer is sometimes confused with the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB), a species that has been imported accidentally into the U.S. To tell the difference between the two species, simply look at their antennae. The antennae of the Cottonwood Borer are solid black while those of the Asian Longhorn beetle have white bands on them.
Author: JW
Published: 2/11/05
Photo Credit: Copyright © 2004 Charles Schurch Lewallen