Painted Hickory Borer vs Gaboon Ebony Longhorn Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Painted Hickory Borer Gaboon Ebony Longhorn Beetle
Scientific Name Megacyllene caryae Ceroplesis militaris
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Cerambycidae Cerambycidae
Size 14-22 mm 25-45 mm
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Omnivores Wood Feeders
Regions Eastern North America West and Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Nigeria)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Painted Hickory Borer

A handsome cerambycid with white zigzag markings on dark brown elytra, breeding in dead hickory and oak in eastern North America. Adults appear in spring, unlike the autumn-active locust borer. It is frequently found on freshly cut firewood.

💡

Did You Know?

This species and the locust borer are near-perfect lookalikes but are separated by season: spring vs. autumn emergence.

Gaboon Ebony Longhorn Beetle

A large longhorn beetle with striking black and yellow banding on its elytra. Its antennae are longer than its body in males. Larvae bore into hardwood trees and can take several years to develop.

💡

Did You Know?

The larvae create audible tunneling sounds inside trees that can be heard by pressing an ear against the trunk.