Phytoecia brunnerae, an endemic species to Syria, has been described from Blūdān environs (Syria) as Coptosia brunnerae by Gianfranco Sama in 2000 [▽].
Mikhail Danilevsky included this species in the newly established Phytoecia-subgenus Paracoptosia in 2017 [❖]. P. brunnerae larvae develop in roots of
Brunnera orientalis (Boraginaceae). Adults mate and females lay eggs in incisions in host plant stalks during May, larvae then feed inside the roots. The pupation takes place in a 12-13 mm
long cocoon hidden inside the root system which is made externally of vegetal fragments mixed with excrements during August. The inner walls of the cocoon are perfectly smooth and covered
with a whitish powder. The entire life cycle, from larva to adult, therefore takes no more than 3-4 months, but freshly emerged beetls remain in the cocoon to the next spring.
Adults, active in May and June, can be found hidden between the host plant basal leaves, or under them, in direct contact with the ground. Occasionally, especially if the plants are temporarily exposed
to the sun, isolated specimens can be observed on upper leaves (ready to drop to the ground in case of danger) [▽].
| Body length: | 8 - 12 mm |
| Life cycle: | 1 year |
| Adults in: | May - June |
| Host plant: | Brunnera orientalis (Boraginaceae) |
| Distribution: | an endemic species to Syria |
The depicted male beetle (paratype) was collected Blūdān village environs (1500 m a.s.l., Al-Zabadani district, Rif Dimashq governorate, Syria) on May 30, 2000.
Collected by Gianfranco Sama
[▽]
Sama G.:
Su alcuni nuovi o interessanti Cerambicidi del medio Oriente (Insecta Coleoptera Cerambycidae).
Quaderni di Studi e Notizie di Storia Naturale della Romagna 13 (supplemento): 91-105, 2000.
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[❖]
Danilevsky M.L.:
A New Subgenus of the Longicorn Genus Phytoecia Dejean, 1835 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) from the Palaearctic Region.
Entomological Review 97 (8): 1137-1139, 2017.
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Kasatkin D.G.:
A new subgenus of the genus Phytoecia Dejean, 1835 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae).
Russian Entomological Journal 24(2): 127-131, 2015.
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