CERAMBYCID BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CERAMBYCIDAE) OF ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE IN PANAMA

Authors

Keywords:

Borers, entomofauna, entomological collection, fruit crops, timber species.

Abstract

Species of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) deposited in the entomological collection of the Panamanian Agricultural Innovation Institute (IDIAP) from the central provinces of Panama were documented and identified to assess their ecological and economic relevance. The study focused on the principal Cerambycidae species represented in the insect collection of the Divisa Agricultural Innovation Center (CIA Divisa, IDIAP). Species were characterized based on morphological features, geographic distribution, and host plant associations using specialized taxonomic and biological literature. The presence of nine Cerambycidae species belonging to the subfamilies Cerambycinae and Lamiinae was confirmed in Panama, including Ischionodonta versicolor (Chevrolat), Xystochroma chloropus (Bates), and Batocera rufomaculata (De Geer). These species exhibit considerable morphological diversity and occupy important ecological niches, particularly through their contributions to wood decomposition and nutrient cycling. However, some species may also be considered pests because their larvae bore into living trees and economically important woody crops. The findings highlight the close relationship between these beetles and their environment, emphasizing both their positive ecological functions and their potential impact on agricultural and forestry production systems. This study contributes significantly to the knowledge of Panama’s entomofauna by documenting species that have received limited scientific attention in the country. Furthermore, it provides a foundation for future taxonomic, ecological, and applied research, as well as for the development of sustainable forest and agricultural management strategies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Aguilar, E. (2012). Fauna de Cerambycidae en bosque tropical caducifolio de la cuenca del río Balsas. [Tesis de licenciatura en Biología, Universidad Autónoma de México. Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza]. https://www.zaragoza.unam.mx/wp-content/Portal2015/Licenciaturas/biologia/tesis/tesis_aguilar_rojas.pdf

Bates, H. (1872). On the longicorn Coleoptera of Chontales, Nicaragua. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London, 20(3), 163-238. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1872.tb01888.x

Bates, H. (1874). Supplement to the longicorn Coleoptera of Chontales, Nicaragua. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London, 22(2), 219-235. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1874.tb00165.x

Bezark, L., & Monné, M. (2013). Checklist of the Oxypeltidae, Vesperidae, Disteniidae and Cerambycidae, (Coleoptera) of the Western Hemisphere. 2013 Edition (updated through 31 December 2012). https://www.cerambycoidea.com/titles/monnebezark2013.pdf

BOLD Systems. (2014). Xystochroma chloropus. https://v3.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=476720

Cervantes-Mayagoitia, J., & Huacuja-Zamudio, A. (2020). Guía de los ácaros e insectos herbívoros de México. Vol. 4 Ácaros e insectos antófagos y carpófagos de importancia agrícola y forestal. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. Núm.143 Serie académicos. Casa de libros abiertos.

Clarke, R., & Zamalloa, S. (2018). Bolivian anthophilous Cerambycinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) host flower records. Insecta Mundi. 0640, 1-35. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2146&context=insectamundi

Espinosa-Tasón, J., Borsari-Maraldi, B., & Mighell-Johnson, K. (2016). El coquillo (Jatropha curcas L.) para la producción de biodiesel en la región del Arco Seco, Panamá. Ciencia Agropecuaria, (25), 88-107. http://www.revistacienciaagropecuaria.ac.pa/index.php/ciencia-agropecuaria/article/view/99

Esteban-Durán, J., Salazar-Rodríguez, A., González-Núñez, M., Del Estal-Padillo, P., & Castresana, L. (2010). Species of the Tribe Lamiini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Reserva Biológica Alberto Manuel Brenes, San Ramón, Costa Rica. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research, 8(4), 1024-1032. https://doi.org/10.5424/sjar/2010084-1395

Fuentes-Mario, J., & Salcedo-Rivera, G. (2018). Registro de Acrocinus longimanus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) en Sucre, Caribe Colombiano. Revista Colombiana de Ciencia Animal - RECIA, 10(1), 78-81. https://doi.org/10.24188/recia.v10.n1.2018.634

Fujihara, R., Viani, R., & Savaris, M. (2021). First record of Trachyderes succinctus succinctus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Khaya ivorensis A. Chev. (Meliaceae) in Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 81(1). https://doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.226537

Galan, C. (2019). Batocera rufomaculata. Taxateca. https://tubiologia.forosactivos.net/t14124-batocera-rufomaculata#google_vignette

Guzmán-Vásquez, H. (2023). First records of three species of Clytini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) to the Mexican States of Oaxaca and Chiapas. Graellsia, 79(1), e184. https://doi.org/10.3989/graellsia.2023.v79.360

Hoskovec, M., Navrátil, D., Jelinek, P., & Rejsek, M. (2017). Longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae, Coleoptera) of the West Palearctic region, neighboring territories and countries of the former Soviet Union. Batocera rufomaculata (DeGeer, 1775). https://www.cerambyx.uochb.cz/batocera_rufomaculata.php

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement. (2024). Taeniotes scalatus. http://titan.gbif.fr/sel_genann1.php?numero=7668

Kariyanna, B., Mohan, M., & Gupta, R. (2017). Biology, ecology and significance of longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 5(4), 1207-1212. https://www.entomoljournal.com/archives/?year=2017&vol=5&issue=4&ArticleId=2190

Lagos, M., & Barrios, H. (2014). Listado sinóptico de especies de Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) capturados en trampas Malaise en la isla de Barro Colorado, Panamá. Scientia, 24(1), 7-28. https://vicinvestigacion.up.ac.pa/sites/vicinvestigacion/files/publicaciones/scientia/Scientia-Vol24-No1.pdf

Lanuza-Garay, A., & Monné, M. A. (2025). Checklist of the Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) of Panama. Insecta Mundi, 1100, 1-46. https://journals.flvc.org/mundi/article/view/138333/143574

Liu, C., & Tong, X. (2023). Functional morphology of the mouthparts of longhorn beetle adult Psacothea hilaris (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and sensilla comparisons between the sexes. Arthropod Structure & Development. 77, 101312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2023.101312

Maes, J., Berghe, E., Dauber, D., Audureau, A., Nearns, E., Skilman, F., Heffern., & Monne, M. (2010). Catalogo Ilustrado de los Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) de Nicaragua. Parte II - Cerambycinae. http://www.bio-nica.info/RevNicaEntomo/70-2010-S2-Cerambycinae.pdf

Maldonado-Pinto, N. M., Cabrera-Asencio, I., & Harmsen, E. W. (2025). Batocera rufomaculata (De Geer, 1775) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae): Incidence, severity and preference for Mangifera indica cultivars. The Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico, 109(1), 155–184. https://doi.org/10.46429/jaupr.v109i1.22218

Martínez, C. (2000). Escarabajos Longicornios (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) de Colombia. Biota Colombiana, 1(1), 76-105. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/491/49110104.pdf

McCary, M., & Schmitz, O. (2021). Invertebrate functional traits and terrestrial nutrient cycling: Insights from a global meta-analysis. Breitish Ecological Society, 90(7), 1714-1726. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13489

Michaluk, S. (2024). Escarabajo arlequín (Acrocinus longimanus). Macroinvertebrados Enciclopedia Británica. https://www.britannica.com/animal/macroinvertebrate

Monné, M. (2016). Catalogue of the Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) of the Neotropical Region. Part I. Subfamily Cerambycinae. https://cerambycidae.cl/bibliografia/Catalogue%20of%20the%20Cerambycidae%20(Coleoptera)%20of%20the%20Neotropical%20Region%20(2016).%20Parte1%20Cerambycinae.pdf

Noguera, F. (2002). Revisión taxonómica de las especies del género Eburia Lepeletier y A.-Serville in Lacordaire de Norte y Centroamérica. Folia Entomológica Mexicana, 41(supl.1), 1-167. https://acaentmex.org/folia/revista/Vol%2041/Vol41supl/1-166.pdf

Noguera, F., & Gutiérrez, N. (2017). Familia Cerambycidae. Taxonomía de Insectos. Orden Coleoptera Foundations of Forest Entomology. Universidad de Chapingo, México. 293-303. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328228032_Cerambycidae

Vargas-Cardoso, O. R., Juárez-González, V. R., Nestor-Arriola, J. I., & Sosa-Armenta, J. M. (2025). El cambio climático y su impacto en los escarabajos longicornios (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). AyTBUAP, 10(37), 17-36. https://repositorioinstitucional.buap.mx/server/api/core/bitstreams/b7143b5a-5d94-4dfd-ad35-6d1c2aef4d07/content

Santos-Murgas, A., Lanuza-Garay, A., Gutiérrez-Lanzas, J., Flores, R., & Ábrego, J. (2021). Cryptanura sp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Cryptinae), parasitoide de Taeniotes scalatus Gmelin 1790 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) en Panamá. Aporte Santiaguino, 14(1), 43-51. https://doi.org/10.32911/as.2021.v14.n1.747

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. (2026). Record Seach. Panama Biota. https://panamabiota.org/stri/collections/search/index.php

Zárate, R., Angulo, A., Ampudia, C., & Mozombite, L. (2023). First Record of Trachyderes succincta succincta (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in Senna reticulata (Fabaceae). Folia Amazónica, 32(2), e32727. https://doi.org/10.24841/fa.v32i2.727

Published

2026-07-14

Issue

Section

Artículos

How to Cite

CERAMBYCID BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CERAMBYCIDAE) OF ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE IN PANAMA. (2026). Ciencia Agropecuaria, 43, 70-89. https://idiap.desarrollo-ojs1.metadatos.org/index.php/ciencia-agropecuaria/article/view/706

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>