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Longhorn Beetle

Family: Cerambycidae

Quick Facts

Category

Beetles

Length: 13-20 mm

Conservation status: Common

When to see: May to August


A longhorn beetle with a brown body and black stripes
a carving of a longhorn beetle on a tree in the woods

There are around 16 different longhorn ​beetle species found at Burnham ​Beeches and around 69 in the UK as a ​whole. They can be anything from a ​few millimetres to nearly 10 cm and are ​quite striking in appearance with their ​distinctive, long antennae (not horns!). ​They lay their eggs in decaying wood ​and, when they hatch, the larvae can ​spend anything from a few months to ​several years boring through the wood ​before emerging as an adult beetle. ​The beetles are often seen on flowers, ​making them important pollinators.

Black-spotted longhorn beetle

Scientific name: Rhagium mordax

Black-spotted longhorn beetle