Diastocera

Diastocera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Family:	Cerambycidae
Genus:	Diastocera Dejean, 1835
Species:	D. trifasciata
Binomial name
Diastocera trifasciata (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
Analeptes Gistel, 1847 Lamia trifasciata Fabricius, 1775 Lamia obesa Voet, 1778 Cerambyx trifasciatus Diastocera trifasciata Ceroplesis trifasciatus Ceroplesis trifasciata Analeptes trifasciatus Analeptes trifasciata

Diastocera is a monotypic beetle genus in the family Cerambycidae described by Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean in 1835.^[1] Its only species, Diastocera trifasciata, was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.^[2][3]

Description[]

Diastocera trifasciata reaches about 5–6 centimetres (2.0–2.4 in) in length. The female is slightly larger than the male. The basic colour of the body is black, with three reddish-orange bands across the elytra (hence the Latin species name trifasciata). The black antennae are kept flat along the back and extend beyond the abdomen.

Adults and larvae of Diastocera trifasciata feed on the bark and underlying wood of Adansonia digitata, Anacardium occidentale, Annona senegalensis, Ceiba pentandra, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus saligna, Sclerocarya birrea, Spondias mombin, Sterculia setigera, .^[1] Infestation of this insect may have devastating effects on cashew (Anacardium occidentale), with relevant economic damages.

Distribution[]

This species can be found in Central Africa (Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo).^[1]

Habitat[]

Diastocera trifasciata is typically an inhabitant of savannah, but it is also present in forests edges with plants of family Anacardiaceae.

References[]