Aridaeus thoracicus

Aridaeus thoracicus, the tiger longicorn, is a common beetle found in Australia. It has also been introduced to New Zealand.^[1] An attractively marked insect with orange and black patterns, the femur of each leg is swollen in the middle. Orange hairs may be noticed on the legs and thorax.^[2] It was described by Anglo-Irish naturalist Edward Donovan in 1805.

Aridaeus thoracicus
Female longicorn beetle in Kioloa, New South Wales
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Family:	Cerambycidae
Genus:	Aridaeus
Species:	A. thoracicus
Binomial name
Aridaeus thoracicus Donovan 1805

Longicorn beetle on a tick bush at Como, Australia

In the warmer months, adults are seen on flowering plants, feeding on the pollen and nectar, particularly those in the myrtle family. Larvae feed on dead wood of a variety of trees. Hosts include Avicennia marina and species in the genus Eucalyptus.^[1]