Agapanthia (Epoptes) lateralis Ganglbauer, 1884

Subfamilia: LAMIINAE  /  Tribus: AGAPANTHIINI
Agapanthia lateralis
[Photo © M.Hoskovec]



Quite surprisingly in a monograph of the immature stages of African timber beetles Duffy [❖] mentioned Asphodelus as a host plant of Agapanthia lateralis - a species absent from Africa. Agapanthia lateralis occurs rarely in Balkan Peninsula but becomes more frequent in Turkey, where locally it is quite abundant. Adults are usually collected on various Asteraceae (Carduus, Cirsium, Onopordon) (Rejzek, unpublished results). Surprisingly, there are reports on associations with Euphorbia (adults collected on stalks and in pupal cells built in the stalks) and even Alcea (R. Grotz, personal communication, 2002).

Body length:12 - 20 mm
Life cycle:1 year
Adults in:May - June
Host plant:polyphagous in herbaceous plants
Distribution:Turkey, Syria


The depicted beetle was collected in Erdemli W Mersin (SW Turkey).

Collected by M.Hoskovec


[❖]
Duffy E.A.J.:
A monograph of the immature stages of African timber beetles (Cerambycidae).
Natural History Museum Publications, London, 337 pp., 1957.
ISBN: 0565000942

Subfamilia: Lamiinae Latreille, 1825
Tribus: Agapanthiini Mulsant, 1839
Genus: Agapanthia Audinet-Serville, 1835
Subgenus: Epoptes Gistl, 1857
Species: Agapanthia (Epoptes) lateralis Ganglbauer, 1884