Neoplocaederus scapularis (Fischer von Waldheim, 1821)

Kadyrov, Abdysalom Kh., Karpinski, Lech, Szczepanski, Wojciech T., Taszakowski, Artur & Walczak, Marcin, 2016, New data on distribution, biology, and ecology of longhorn beetles from the area of west Tajikistan (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), ZooKeys 606, pp. 41-64 : 45-46

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cerambycidae

Neoplocaederus scapularis (Fischer von Waldheim, 1821) Fig. 1E, F

Material examined.

Region of Republican Subordination, Romit [ Ромит], a river valley, at light (38°46'N, 69°16'E), 1283 m, 26 VI 2014, 1♂, leg. WTS; 1♂, 2♀♀, leg. LK.

Region of Republican Subordination, Takob [ Taкoб], an alpine meadow, on Ferula sp., (38°49'N, 68°56'E), 1850-1900 m, 9 VII 2014, 1♂, leg. WTS; 3♀♀, leg. LK.

It is distributed in several countries of Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, and western China ( Kadyrov 2007, Danilevsky 2016). It is a common species in Tajikistan and occurs everywhere its host plant ferule ( Ferula spp.) grows ( Kadyrov 2007). In Tajikistan, the genus Ferula consists of nearly 40 species ( Safarov 2003). According to Plavilstshikov (1940), larvae of Neoplocaederus scapularis may also develop in species of the genus Scorodosma . The larvae primarily feed on the rhizomes and roots of these plants and their development usually takes a year, sometimes even two ( Plavilstshikov 1940). Pupation takes place in calcareous cocoons in the soil ( Švácha and Danilevsky 1988). The adults appear and feed on the flowers or stems of the host plants from the end of April to July, depending on the local altitude ( Kadyrov 2007).

The beetles are probably active in the evening and at night. We only observed adults on the ferule (Fig. 3G, H) in the early morning, due to the fact that the beetles still had not managed to hide after the night. Moreover, during the research, imagines were often attracted to an artificial light source.