Flat Oak Borer vs North American Horntail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Flat Oak Borer North American Horntail
Scientific Name Smodicum cucujiforme Tremex columba
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Cerambycidae Siricidae
Size 7-12 mm 25–50 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Eastern North America Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Flat Oak Borer

An unusually flat, reddish-brown cerambycid that breeds under the bark of dead oaks in North America. Its flattened body allows it to navigate the tight spaces between bark and sapwood. Adults are nocturnal and attracted to lights.

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Did You Know?

Its body is so flat that it was originally described as a member of Cucujidae, the flat bark beetle family.

North American Horntail

A large horntail wasp found across eastern North America. It attacks dead and dying hardwood trees such as beech, maple, and elm.

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Did You Know?

The parasitoid wasp Megarhyssa macrurus uses its extremely long ovipositor to reach horntail larvae deep inside wood.