A survey of the Lepturinae of Wisconsin (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Due to their larval feeding and adult pollination services the “flower long-horned wood-boring beetles” (Cerambycidae: Lepturinae) comprise one of the most significant families and subfamilies of wood-boring insects in forest ecosystems.  No targeted lepturine faunal survey has been conducted of either the Wisconsin or the western Great Lakes Region and published distribution records and biological data for the species indigenous to Wisconsin are extremely incomplete. The objective of this study is to conduct a statewide survey of Wisconsin Lepturinae, with special emphasis on coniferous and hardwood forests, barrens, and savannas. This survey will establish an essential base of knowledge regarding species richness, geographical and temporal distributions, plant associations, and general biology. Results are expected to include published papers as well as a specimen-level database and a website with species pages for Wisconsin lepturine species. Each page will include images, a detailed distribution map, and text (brief diagnostic description, phenology, natural history, and any known economic significance. Specimen data will be recorded in the NSF-supported, relational biodiversity database, Specify; this information will be available through the UW Insect Research Collection link on the UW Department of Entomology homepage. The resulting products will be integrated with other, ongoing Wisconsin survey and inventory projects.