Oncid ID: Tool for Diagnosing Adult Twig Girdlers (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Onciderini)
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Genus: Venustus

Diagnostic Features
  • Description: Elongate-ovate, small to moderate-sized, ranging from about 11–13 mm in length. Integument generally dark brown or black with whitish, ferrugineous, and ochraceous pubescence. Head with frons elongate, about as wide as width of 1 1/2 lower eye lobes. Eyes with lower lobes ovate-oblong. Genae elongate, about as tall or distinctly shorter than lower eye lobes. Antennal tubercles prominent, widely separated; tubercles armed at apex with small projection or short, blunt horn; antennae about as long as overall body length or as much as 1 1/2 times as long; scape clavate, about as long as antennomere IV; antennomere III sinuate, longer than scape and antennomere IV. Pronotum transverse, roughly cylindrical to slightly conical, wider at base, without lateral tubercles. Elytra with sides slightly attenuate; elytral apices individually rounded; elytra generally uniform in coloration or speckled, or with distinct maculae; base of elytra with two prominent tubercles at humeri. Basal 1/3 of elytra with dense punctation, surface coarsely punctate or granulate-punctate. Procoxae without projection or with an obtuse tubercle. Mesosternal process with apex deeply emarginate. Metafemora moderate in length, about 1/3 as long as elytra.

  • The combination of the following characters will help to distinguish this genus: moderately large eyes; sinuate antennomere III; roughly cylindrical to slightly conical pronotum; and elytra with sides stightly attenuate.

  • Similar genus/genera: strongly resembles Alexera and Neolampedusa; superficially resembles Furona, Plerodia, and Tulcoides.
Geographic Distribution
  • Central America (Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama)
  • South America (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador)
Host Plants/Trees
  • Unknown
Girdling Behavior
  • Unknown
Notes

The genus Venustus currently contains two species:
  Venustus analogus Martins & Galileo, 1996 [holotype specimen, ♂]
  Venustus zeteki Dillon & Dillon, 1945 [♂ specimen]

Generic Synonymies
  • None
Selected References
 

Venustus zeteki
♂ specimen
© E.H. Nearns

 

© 2011-2015 Nearns, E.H., Lord, N.P., and K.B. Miller
The University of New Mexico and Center for Plant Health Science and Technology, USDA, APHIS, PPQ.