Description: Elongate-oblong, small to large-sized, ranging from about 8–30 mm in length. Integument generally dark brown, black or ferrugineous with whitish, ferrugineous, black, and ochraceous pubescence. Head with frons shape variable, from elongate to transverse, about as wide as width of four lower eye lobes; frons surface roughly sculptured or not. Eyes with lower lobes shape variable, from oblong to ovate to distinctly narrow. Genae with shape variable, from elongate to transverse, about as tall to distinctly shorter than lower eye lobes. Antennal tubercles prominent, widely separated; tubercles not armed at apex or armed with a small projection, or with a short, blunt horn; antennae about as long as overall body length (females), or as much as twice as long (males); scape clavate, variable in length compared to antennomere IV; antennomere III variable in shape, from nearly straight to curved to sinuate, variable in length compared to scape and about as long or longer than antennomere IV; antennomere XI shorter than X (females) or longer than X (males). Pronotum moderately to strongly transverse, roughly cylindrical to conical, distinctly narrower at base, with distinct lateral tubercles; pronotal disk often one or more glabrous areas at center. Elytra with sides roughly parallel; elytral apices individually or jointly rounded; elytra generally uniform in coloration or speckled, or with distinct maculae; base of elytra without tubercles or with two or more prominent tubercles at humeri. Basal 1/3 of elytra with sparse to dense punctation, surface finely punctate, coarsely punctate, or granulate-punctate. Procoxae without projection or with an obtuse tubercle. Mesosternal process with apex variable, from subtruncate to deeply emarginate. Metafemora short to distinctly short in length, about 1/4–1/5 as long as elytra.
As currently defined, this speciose genus exhibits highly variable morphological characters. However, the combination of the following characters will help to distinguish this genus: pronotum with lateral tubercles; pronotum often cylindrical, narrower at base; and short metafemora.
Oncideres cingulata is a known pest of pecan (Carya illinoensis) in the USA.
Girdling Behavior
In Latin America, members of this genus are often referred to as "corta palo" [cuts wood] or "serrador" [one who saws].
In the USA, O. cingulata is commonly referred to as the "hickory girdler," O. pustulata as the "huisache girdler," and O. rhodosticta as the "mesquite girdler."
Duffy (1960) and Linsley (1940, 1961) described the biology of Onicderes.
Rice (1986, 1989, 1995) described the bionomics of O. cingulata and O. pustulata.
Forcella (1981, 1984) and Rogers (1977) described the bionomics of O. cingulata.
Romero et al. (2005) described the effects of O. humeralis on the number and size structure of its host plants in Brazil.
Hovore & Penrose (1982) and Touroult (2004) recorded Cerambycidae species which emerged from branches girdled by Oncideres.
Notes
The genus Oncideres currently contains 122 species:
Oncideres a. albomarginata Thomson, 1868:80 [holotype specimen, ♀]
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