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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Acrocinus longimanus
Coleoptera / Cerambycidae
Acrocinus longimanus is a tropical American longhorn beetle with interlocking black, greenish-yellow and red-orange markings. The male’s exceptionally long forelegs serve as levers during contests for mating and egg-laying sites.
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The thorax and wing covers bear black, greenish-yellow and red-orange markings. Black antennae have orange marks at the joints; a spine projects from each side of the pronotum. [1][2]
French Guianan individuals in the 1992 study had bright crimson markings; Panamanian beetles were orange. [1]
Records extend from Mexico through Central America and across much of tropical South America to northern Argentina. The 2017 Corrientes record came from a remnant of the Paranaense Forest at San Alonso. [2]
Larvae develop inside deteriorating wood. In Panama and French Guiana, females laid eggs on recently fallen timber and dead or dying portions of standing trees. [1]
Males guard females and egg-laying sites. During fights, curved forelegs hook beneath a rival’s thorax and lever it from the tree; biting can accompany combat. [1]
Male forelegs lengthen disproportionately with body size. In 20 staged field contests, relative forefemur length was the best predictor of victory. [1]
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
David W. Zeh, Jeanne A. Zeh and Gérard Tavakilian; Biotropica 24(1), 86–96 (1992) · Accessed 2026-10-11
Valle, Chatellenaz and Damborsky; Check List 13(6), 987–991 (2017) · Accessed 2026-10-11
Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris · Accessed 2026-10-11
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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