Aegosoma

Subfamily

Prioninae

Diagnosis - adult

Body length: 28–50 mm. 
Eyes: eye interommatidial setaeseta:
a sclerotized hair-like projection of the cuticle
absent, eye deeply emarginateemarginate:
notched at the margin
> half width, eye ommatidial density coarse. 
AntennaeAntenna:
in larval and adult insects, paired segmented appendages, borne one on each side of the head, functioning as sense organs and bearing a large number of sensilla
: antennal length reaches between basebase:
the part of any appendage or structure that is nearest the body
and end of elytraelytron:
the leathery forewing of beetles, serving as a covering for the hind wings, commonly meeting opposite elytron in a straight line down the middle of the dorsum in repose
or reaching/surpassing end of body, antennal flagellar segments elongateelongate:
much longer than wide
, scapescape:
the first proximal segment of the antenna
smooth/punctate at apexapex:
end of any structure distad to the base
, antennal segment 3 > scapescape:
the first proximal segment of the antenna
. 
Pronotumpronotum:
the upper and dorsal part of the prothorax
: pronotumpronotum:
the upper and dorsal part of the prothorax
shape transversetransverse:
broader than long
, pronotumpronotum:
the upper and dorsal part of the prothorax
lateral armature absent or acute spinespine:
a protuberance with an acute (sharp) distal end
. 
Prosternum: prosternal process dilated at apexapex:
end of any structure distad to the base
, procoxal cavities open posteriorly. 
ElytraElytron:
the leathery forewing of beetles, serving as a covering for the hind wings, commonly meeting opposite elytron in a straight line down the middle of the dorsum in repose
: elytral length reaching or close to end of abdomen, elytral apicesapex:
end of any structure distad to the base
rounded or truncatetruncate:
cut off squarely at the tip
or with tooth or spinespine:
a protuberance with an acute (sharp) distal end
, elytral color black, brown, yellow, reddish or orange, elytral color pattern absent. 
Legs: visible tarsomeres: 4, femora slender, protibial spurs: 2, tarsal claws simple.

Similar genera

Aegolipton, Spinimegopis, Ziglipton

Distribution

Palearctic (Asia), Indomalaya

Recorded host plants

broadleaf trees

Remarks

22 species and five more sspp. Larvae found in rotting hardwoods.

Synonyms

N/A

Taxonomy

Ægosoma Audinet-Serville 1832, Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, Paris (1) 1: 162.