Mesosa myops (Dalman, 1817)

Karpinski, Lech, Szczepanski, Wojciech T., Boldgiv, Bazartseren & Walczak, Marcin, 2018, New data on the longhorn beetles of Mongolia with particular emphasis on the genus Eodorcadion Breuning, 1947 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), ZooKeys 739, pp. 107-150 : 127

Mesosa myops (Dalman, 1817) Figs 5B, C , 16A

Material examined.

Selenge Aimag : 50 km NE of Zuunkharaa (49°05'N, 107°17'E), 930 m a.s.l., 02 VIII 2015, numerous larvae and pupae, 1♂, 1♀, Betula platyphylla , leg. LK, WTS, MW; (III 2016, ex larva), 1♂, leg. MW; (02-10 VIII 2015, ex pupa), 1♂, 5♀♀, leg. WTS; (05 VIII 2015, ex pupa), 2♂♂, 1♀, leg. LK .

Remarks.

This species is distributed from Eastern Europe (where it reaches eastern Poland) through Siberia, including northern Mongolia and China, to the Far East and Japan ( Sama 2002, Danilevsky 2017a). It is listed in the Annexes of the European Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), and therefore, it is strictly protected in the entire European Union. However, in the centre of its range (including Mongolia), M. myops is considered to be a common species and it is often numerously found in this region (e.g., Müller et al. 2013). This species is polyphagous on a large number of deciduous trees and shrubs. Its larval development usually takes two years. The pupation of the larvae takes place in the summer. After emerging from the pupae, the adult beetles emerge from their pupal cells from July to September; afterwards they probably overwinter in leaf litter. The imagines occur throughout entire warm season from May to September ( Cherepanov 1990c).

Several dozen larvae (Fig. 16B ), some pupae (Fig. 16C, D ) and newly emerged imagines (Fig. 16A ) were observed under the bark (Fig. 9H ) of rather thin broken Betula platyphylla (5-20 cm in diameter) (Fig. 16E ) in the light taiga habitat (Fig. 7F ) at the beginning of August. Several emergence holes of adults were also found on both branches and stems (Fig. 16F ). The same material was additionally inhabited by larvae of Xylotrechus hircus , Aegomorphus obscurior and Saperda scalaris .

Figures

Figure 5. Photos of longhorn beetles specimens collected during the expedition to Mongolia in 2015: A Aegomorphus obscurior (male) B Mesosa myops (male) C M. myops (female) D Monochamus impluviatus impluviatus (male) E M. impluviatus impluviatus (female) F Monochamus sutor longulus (female) G Monochamus sartor urussovii (male) H Agapanthia pilicornis pilicornis (male).

Figure 7. Field photos of immature stages and habitats of typical Mongolian cerambycid species: A larches in forest steppe, the habitat of Lepturalia nigripes rufipennis B larva of L. nigripes in a birch stump C site in light taiga, the habitat of L. nigripes rufipennis and Agapanthia pilicornis pilicornis D site in forest steppe, the habitat of Clytus arietoides, Monochamus impluviatus impluviatus and M. sutor longulus E broken trunk of the birch in light taiga, the microhabitat of inter alia Xylotrechus hircus and Aegomorphus obscurior F birches in light taiga, the habitat of X. hircus, A. obscurior, Saperda scalaris hieroglyphica and Mesosa myops G larva of Xylotrechus pantherinus H larva of X. pantherinus deep in the wood of a standing willow trunk.

Figure 9. Field photos of immature stages and habitats of typical Mongolian cerambycid species: A shrub of Caragana bungei, the host plant of Anoplistes and Chlorophorus species B Caragana leucophloea shrubs in semi-desert, the habitat of Anoplistes halodendri minutus C cross-section of larval feeding grounds of Anoplistes halodendri in Caragana stem D adults emergence holes of Anoplistes halodendri E larva of Saperda similis in its pupal cell F riverbank in light taiga, the habitat of S. similis G larva of Saperda scalaris H thick layer of cambium under the bark of broken birch trunk, the microhabitat of S. scalaris and Mesosa myops.

Figure 16. Field photos of imagines in nature, their immature stages and habitats of typical Mongolian cerambycid species: A newly emerged male of Mesosa myops B larva of M. myops C one of the last pupal instars of M. myops D pupa of M. myops in thick layer of cambium under the bark of broken birch trunk E broken trunk of the birch in light taiga, the microhabitat of M. myops F adults emergence holes of M. myops G Stictoleptura variicornis on Chamaenerion angustifolium H Leptura annularis on Chamaenerion angustifolium.