Reproductive biology of cerambycids

There is extensive literature on the geographic ranges of cerambycid species and the host associations of their larvae, much of it published by naturalists (e.g., references for volumes indexed by Linsley and Chemsak 1997). Much less is known, however, about the behavior of the adult beetles. The earliest research on cerambycid species was often the most thorough because researchers at that time were free to devote their full attention to pest species for years on end. For example, Atkinson (1926) summarized years of research on the cerambycine Hoplocerambyx spinicornis Newman, an important pest of sal trees (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.; Dipsocarpaceae) in India, during which time he had studied sensory cues involved in locating and assessing the girth of larval hosts (the basis for oviposition preference), the resistance response of the host, and the behavior and life history of the larvae; the work included many beautiful hand-drawn illustrations. These early publications are still valuable because they describe behaviors and summarize natural histories that are common among cerambycids.