#arhopalus

An overnight stay at a pub in Waipiata, in an area that looked as dry as inland New South Wales, but still had a surprising variety of aquatic insects showing up on a windowsill overnight. In fact there was some concern about the heat and lack of ran while we were in Aotearoa, when the temperature was reaching the giddy heights of 25C. Back home in Perth it was 43C.

And a bunch of introduced species, too, of course.

AKA Callidium tristis, Criocephalus ferus and Criocephalum polonicum.

A longicorn found across Europe, Northern Asia (except Japan), and North Africa, and introduced to Australia and New Zealand some time in the middle of last century.

8–30 mm in length - males being substantially smaller than their mates.

The beetles are strongly attracted to the smell of burnt or damaged pines and spruces, since their larvae struggle to survive in healthy trees. Quite commonly found around sawmills, because of the smell of the timber.