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Section Symposium

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Cerambycid Beetles: Bridging Ecology, Evolution, and Management Across Borders

Color vision in longhorn beetles: From electrophysiological recordings to practical application

Wednesday, November 12, 2025
4:13 PM - 4:33 PM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, B110-112, OCC
Oral Presentation

Longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) represent one of the most diverse beetle families worldwide, encompassing species of both conservation interest and major forest pests, including several invasive taxa. Because of their ecological and economic importance, efficient detection and monitoring are essential for both biodiversity conservation and pest management. Recent studies have shown that, in addition to chemical cues, visual cues play a key role in enhancing trap attractiveness, with species-specific differences reflecting diverse visual ecologies. To investigate color sensitivity in longhorn beetles, we conducted electrophysiological recordings during 2024–2025 on five species from three subfamilies. Preliminary results indicate dichromacy in one prionine and two cerambycine species, and trichromacy in three lepturine species. Although the two cerambycine species are known flower visitors, these findings suggest that the broader color sensitivity observed in lepturines may have evolved later in association with their predominantly flower-visiting lifestyle. In addition, in 2024 we carried out a color-trapping experiment across seven sites in Europe and North America, testing traps of four colors (black, red, yellow, white) and a multi-colored version combining all four. At most sites, multi-colored traps captured significantly more species and individuals than black, red, or yellow traps at both family and subfamily levels. However, multicolored traps were less effective than white traps for Lepturinae, indicating variable responses among taxa. Overall, these results provide new insights into the physiological and behavioral bases of color vision in longhorn beetles and highlight opportunities to optimize monitoring methods through the integration of visual cues.