Hesycha | Oncid ID

Disclaimer

March 2026: Since the original publication of this tool, one additional species of Hesycha Fairmaire and Germain, 1859Fairmaire and Germain, 1859:
Fairmaire, L. and P. Germain. 1859. Revision des coleopteres du Chili (suite). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 7(3): 483–532. was described (Galileo et al. 2015aGalileo et al. 2015a:
Galileo MHM, Martins UR, Santos-Silva A. 2015a. Four new species of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from Bolivia and Brazil. Zootaxa. 3985(3): 440-445.). This species is added to "Included Species". Other sections in this fact sheet have not been edited to account for the new species.

Diagnostic Features

Description

Elongate-oblong, moderate-sized, ranging from about 10–14 mm in length. Integument generally dark brown or ferrugineous with whitish, ferrugineous, black, and ochraceous pubescence. Head with frons subquadrate, about as wide as width of 3–4 lower eye lobes. Eyes with lower lobes oblong to distinctly narrow. Genae elongate, about as tall as lower eye lobes. Antennal tubercles prominent, moderately separated; tubercles not armed at apex (females) or armed with a short, blunt horn (males). Antennae about as long as overall body length (females), or as much as 1 1/3 times as long (males); scape clavate, shorter than antennomere IV; antennomere III sinuate, longer than scape and antennomere IV. Pronotum transverse, roughly cylindrical to conical, wider at base, without lateral tubercles. Elytra with sides roughly parallel to attenuate; elytral apices individually rounded; elytra generally uniform in coloration or speckled, or with distinct maculae; base of elytra with two prominent tubercles at humeri. Basal 1/3 of elytra with dense punctation, surface coarsely punctate. Procoxae without projection (females) or with small acute projection or distinct, curved hook (males). Mesosternal process with apex subtruncate to feebly emarginate. Metafemora moderate in length, about 1/3 as long as elytra.

Diagnosis

The combination of the following characters will help to distinguish this genus: oblong to distinctly narrow eyes; elongate genae; sinuate antennomere III; base of elytra with two prominent tubercles at humeri; and moderately-long metafemora.

Similar genus/genera

Superficially resembles Bucoides and Glypthaga.

Geographic Distribution

South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay)

NOTE: Although Hesycha cribripennis was originally described from Chile (Fairmaire and Germain 1859Fairmaire and Germain 1859:
Fairmaire L, Germain P. 1859. Revision des coleopteres du Chili (suite). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 7(3):483–532.), this is likely an erroneous record as no members of this species have been collected there since.

Host Plants/Trees

Unknown

Girdling Behavior

Unknown. However, Martins (1975)Martins (1975):
Martins, U.R. 1975. Notas e descricoes em Onciderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae). Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia, 29(10): 65–70. reported that members of this genus oviposit in dead wood and are not believed to be girdlers of branches.

Included Species

The genus Hesycha currently contains 13 species: H. biguttata Martins and Galileo, 2010Martins and Galileo, 2010:
Martins UR, Galileo MHM. 2010. Novos táxons em Onciderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae). Revista Brasileira de Entomologia. 54(1):66–71.; H. bimaculata Martins and Galileo, 1990Martins and Galileo, 1990:
Martins UR, Galileo MHM. 1990. Onciderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae): sinonimias, novos taxons, chaves e notas. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia. 37(4):53–95.; H. bimaculata Martins and Galileo, 1990Martins and Galileo, 1990:
Martins UR, Galileo MHM. 1990. Onciderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae): sinonimias, novos taxons, chaves e notas. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia. 37(4):53–95.; H. clavata Martins and Galileo, 1990Martins and Galileo, 1990:
Martins UR, Galileo MHM. 1990. Onciderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae): sinonimias, novos taxons, chaves e notas. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia. 37(4):53–95.; H. consimilis Thomson, 1868Thomson, 1868:
Thomson J. 1868. Révision du groupe des oncidérites (Lamites, cérambycides, coléoptères). Physis Recueil d'Histoire Naturelle. 2(5):41–92.; H. cribripennis Fairmaire and Germain, 1859Fairmaire and Germain, 1859:
Fairmaire L, Germain P. 1859. Revision des coleopteres du Chili (suite). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 7(3):483–532.; H. crucifera Dillon and Dillon, 1952Dillon and Dillon, 1952:
Dillon LS, Dillon ES. 1952. The tribe Onciderini. Supplementary notes. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 45(1):59–79.; H. fasciata Martins and Galileo, 1990Martins and Galileo, 1990:
Martins UR, Galileo MHM. 1990. Onciderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae): sinonimias, novos taxons, chaves e notas. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia. 37(4):53–95.; H. inermicollis (Breuning, 1940); H. jataiensis Galileo, Martins and Santos-Silva, 2015, H. microphthalma Martins and Galileo, 1990Martins and Galileo, 1990:
Martins UR, Galileo MHM. 1990. Onciderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae): sinonimias, novos taxons, chaves e notas. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia. 37(4):53–95.; H. simplex Martins and Galileo, 1990Martins and Galileo, 1990:
Martins UR, Galileo MHM. 1990. Onciderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae): sinonimias, novos taxons, chaves e notas. Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia. 37(4):53–95.; H. tavakiliani Nearns and Swift, 2011Nearns and Swift, 2011:
Nearns EH, Swift IP. 2011. New taxa and combinations in Onciderini Thomson, 1860 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae). Insecta Mundi. 0192:1–27.; H. variabilis Dillon and Dillon, 1945Dillon and Dillon, 1945:
Dillon LS, Dillon ES. 1945. The tribe Onciderini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Part I. Reading, Scientific Publications, Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery, Number 5. 186 pp..

More species images are available in the Gallery.

Taxonomy

Hesycha Fairmaire and Germain, 1859Fairmaire and Germain, 1859:
Fairmaire L, Germain P. 1859. Revision des coleopteres du Chili (suite). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 7(3):483–532.
subtribe: Hypsiomina
type species: Hesycha cribripennis Fairmaire and Germain, 1859Fairmaire and Germain, 1859:
Fairmaire L, Germain P. 1859. Revision des coleopteres du Chili (suite). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 7(3):483–532.
generic synonymies: Falsestola Breuning, 1940; Estolosybra Breuning, 1943

Selected References

Bezark and Monné (2013)Bezark and Monné (2013):
Bezark LG, Monné MA. 2013. Checklist of the Oxypeltidae, Vesperidae, Disteniidae and Cerambycidae, (Coleoptera) of the Western Hemisphere., Dillon and Dillon (1945)Dillon and Dillon (1945):
Dillon LS, Dillon ES. 1945. The tribe Onciderini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Part I. Reading, Scientific Publications, Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery, Number 5. 186 pp., Dillon and Dillon (1952)Dillon and Dillon (1952):
Dillon LS, Dillon ES. 1952. The tribe Onciderini. Supplementary notes. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 45(1):59–79., Fairmaire and Germain (1859)Fairmaire and Germain (1859):
Fairmaire L, Germain P. 1859. Revision des coleopteres du Chili (suite). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 7(3):483–532., Martins (1975)Martins (1975):
Martins UR. 1975. Notas e descricoes em Onciderini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae). Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia. 29(10):65–70., Monné (2005)Monné (2005):
Monné MA. 2005. Catalogue of the Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) of the Neotropical Region. Part II. Subfamily Lamiinae. Zootaxa. 1023:1–759., Nearns and Swift (2011)Nearns and Swift (2011):
Nearns EH, Swift IP. 2011. New taxa and combinations in Onciderini Thomson, 1860 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae). Insecta Mundi. 0192:1–27., Thomson (1868)Thomson (1868):
Thomson J. 1868. Révision du groupe des oncidérites (Lamites, cérambycides, coléoptères). Physis Recueil d'Histoire Naturelle. 2(5):41–92.

Hesycha bimaculata, male specimen; © E.H. Nearns	Hesycha bimaculata, male specimen; © E.H. Nearns
Hesycha bimaculata, male specimen; © E.H. Nearns	Hesycha bimaculata, male; © E.H. Nearns