Euderces velutinus

Euderces velutinus is a long-horned beetle native to Central America. It is a good ant mimic of the conspicuous species Camponotus sericeiventris.^[1]

Euderces velutinus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Family:	Cerambycidae
Genus:	Euderces
Species:	E. velutinus
Binomial name
Euderces velutinus (Fisher, 1931)
Synonyms
Eplophorus velutinus

Description

E. velutinus is about 1 cm long and 3 mm wide. The general color is black, with short golden hairs on top, patterned in a ways such that it resembles an ant. The hind legs are shaped ant-like. The beetle's head and prothorax together mimic the ant's head, with a pair of black spots simulating the eyes.^[1]

It is very similar to E. magnus, but is smaller, has a shorter pronotum, and has the entire apical half of the elytra densely clothed with silky, golden yellow pubescence, which helps giving the impression of C. sericeiventris.^[2]

Distribution

E. velutinus has been found in Guatemala and Honduras.^[2]

See also

• Myrmecotypus — a spider genus with one species also mimicking C. sericeiventris