#broad necked root borer

[onenicebugperday]

Meg (m*********[email protected]) submitted: Wondering if you could ID this beetle, please! Found in Colchester, Vermont on the side steps of a very busy house; I moved it into some nearby woods.

Another prionine longhorn like the last submission! This one is a different species, though, most likely a broad-necked root borer :)

[onenicebugperday]

Hi! The bug identification submits aren’t working for me, so I’m just gonna slip this in here. Found this chonker in central Maryland a couple days ago, after it scared the bejesus out of my mom when she took the dog out lol. It is by far the largest beetle I’ve ever seen in my life! Any clue as to this buddy’s identity?

Big man! Or woman idk. It's a prionine longhorn beetle for sure and probably a broad-necked root borer, Prionus laticollis :)

[onenicebugperday]

@peterrose submitted: Yes, the submit page! Thanks 😊

Ahhh glad you got to submit the video too! All I can think about is using this beetle as a scissors to do some arts and crafts

[onenicebugperday]

I found ms Bitey in northern Va USA

They left 2 holes in my pillow case 😂 (I have a video but don’t know how to send it)

Snip snip snip. Those snippers look like they would hurt! This lil friend looks like a broad-necked root borer, which is a type of longhorn beetle :)

Also, I think you'd have to use the submit page to send a video? No idea tbh

[onenicebugperday]

@starlitspacecloud submitted: Found this bug outside my house today (I live in [removed], please remove location for privacy). It’s kinda hard to see in this picture, but there was a wriggling, gelatinous, almost wormlike… thing sticking out of the boundary between the dark and light brown segments of the spike extending out of the beetle(?)’s abdomen. In addition, the spike retracted into the abdomen in a telescoping manner, with the dark segment retracting into the light segment before the light segment retracted into the body, whenever I got close. The big was otherwise motionless. Any idea what kind of bug this is and what’s going on here?

This is a female broad-necked root borer, and the spike is her ovipositor. Without seeing what was coming out of her, I can't say whether or not it was eggs or something else. Normally to lay eggs, they push their ovipositor down into the dirt or leaf litter.

They do sometimes just stick their ovipositor up into the air to release pheromones to attract males, so it's possible she was pushing out some sort of gland or something to release pheromones? I couldn't find much about it when I did a brief search. Either way, I love her!

[onenicebugperday]

I found this absolutely huge and wonderful beetle trundling upwards in MA! I tried ID-ing them but nothing came up. Any ideas? I love your blog by the way :)

This extremely nice beetle friend looks like a male broad-necked root borer, which is a type of longhorn beetle. I’m assuming male because of the bigger/thicker antennae and lack of ovipositor. Plus, this dude looks like he’s ready to fly in the gif, and females have apparently never been observed flying. Thanks for sharing him, I love him!

[onenicebugperday]

@macaronisnails submitted: found this big ol borer beetle in the yard yesterday!! (Drums, PA)

Big beetley friend! Very nice. Can I just

Look at that face!!! Precious. :)

[onenicebugperday]

@buckwheatf1our submitted: any help w an ID? near asheville north carolina, was pretty big too

Sure! This large and precious lady is a broad-necked root borer beetle, Prionus laticollis. That butt pipe stickin’ out the back is her ovipositor :)