Monochamus is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of longhorn beetles found throughout the world. They are commonly known as sawyer beetles or sawyers, as their larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e bore into dead or dying trees, especially conifers such as pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

s. A more ambiguous name is "bark beetle

Bark beetle

A bark beetle is one of approximately 220 genera with 6,000 species of beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae. Traditionally, this was considered a distinct family Scolytidae, but now it is understood that bark beetles are in fact very specialized members of the "true weevil" family...

s". They are the type genus

Type genus

In biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...

 of the Monochamini, a tribe

Tribe (biology)

In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...

 in the huge long-horned beetle subfamily Lamiinae

Lamiinae

Lamiinae, commonly called flat-faced longhorns, are a subfamily of the longhorn beetle family . The subfamily includes over 750 genera, rivaled in diversity within the family only by the subfamily Cerambycinae.-Tribes:...

, but typically included in the Lamiini today.

While sawyer beetles are economically insignificant by themselves, some species are known to transport phoretic Bursaphelenchus

Bursaphelenchus

Bursaphelenchus is a genus of nematodes in the order Aphelenchida, containing about 100 described species at present; new species are discovered frequently. Most are obligate mycophages, but some feed on wood, with two species – the Red Ring Nematode and the Pinewood Nematode...

nematode

Nematode

The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...

s, including B. xylophilus

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, commonly known as pine wood nematode or pine wilt nematode , is a nematode that infects pine trees and causes pine wilt...

which causes pine wilt disease

Wilt disease

A wilt disease is any number of diseases that affect the vascular system of plants. Attacks by fungi, bacteria, and nematodes can cause rapid killing of plants, large tree branches or even entire trees....

.

Selected species

Listed alphabetically.

• Monochamus alternatus Hope, 1842 – Japanese Pine Sawyer Beetle
• Monochamus carolinensis (Olivier, 1792) – Carolina Sawyer
• Monochamus clamator (LeConte, 1852) – Spotted Pine Sawyer
• Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier,1795) – Black Pine Sawyer or Timberman Beetle
• Monochamus grandis Waterhouse, 1881
• Monochamus guttulatus Gressitt, 1951
• Monochamus impluviatus Motschulsky, 1859
• Monochamus marmorator Kirby in Richardson, 1837 – Balsam Fir Sawyer
• Monochamus maruokai Hayashi, 1962
• Monochamus mutator LeConte in Agassiz, 1850 – Spotted Pine Sawyer
• Monochamus nitens Bates, 1884
• Monochamus notatus (Drury, 1773) – Northeastern Sawyer or Notable Sawyer
• Monochamus obtusus Casey, 1891 – Obtuse Sawyer
• Monochamus saltuarius Gebler, 1830 – Sakhalin Pine Beetle
• Monochamus sartor (Fabricius, 1787)
• Monochamus scutellatus (Say, 1824) – White-spotted Sawyer or Spruce Sawyer
• Monochamus sutor (Linnaeus, 1758) – Pine Sawyer
• Monochamus titillator (Fabricius, 1775) – Southern Pine Sawyer
• Monochamus urussovi (Fischer von Waldheim,1806) – Black Fir Sawyer

External links

• Monochamus, BugGuide