Ropalopus

Subfamily

Cerambycinae

Diagnosis - adult

Body length: 7–30mm. 
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 fine. 
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 blunt tubercule. 
Prosternum: prosternal process not 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
, elytral color black or metallic, elytral color pattern present. 
Legs: visible tarsomeres: 4, femora clavateclavate:
thickening gradually toward the tip
, protibial spurs: 2, tarsal claws simple.

Form moderately broad, flattened. Head with eyes deeply emarginateemarginate:
notched at the margin
; palpi nearly equal; labrumlabrum:
the upper lip, abutting the clypeus in front of the mouth
not emarginateemarginate:
notched at the margin
. Pronotumpronotum:
the upper and dorsal part of the prothorax
slightly canaliculate; mesonotum with a large, undivided. finely striatestriate:
marked with parallel, fine, longitudinal, impressed lines or furrows
stridulatory surface; prosternum with anterior coxae separated; mesosternummesosternum:
sternum of the mesothorax
triangular, apexapex:
end of any structure distad to the base
acute; metasternum with scent pores, posterior coxae prominent. 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
flattened anteriorly, narrowed at middle. Femora strongly clavateclavate:
thickening gradually toward the tip
 (Linsley 1964Linsley 1964:
Linsley, E.G. 1964. The Cerambycidae of North America. Part V. Taxonomy and classification of the subfamily Cerambycinae, tribes Callichromini through Ancylocerini. University of California Publications in Entomology, Vol. 22. 197 pp.).

Similar genera

Turanium, Semanotus

Differential diagnosis

Can be distinguished from Turanium by the more rounded pronotumpronotum:
the upper and dorsal part of the prothorax
, strongly clavateclavate:
thickening gradually toward the tip
posterior femora, and less elongateelongate:
much longer than wide
form. Semanotus spp. have a more triangular scutellumscutellum:
a small sclerite located directly posterior to the pronotum, bordered laterally by the elytra
and often three obvious smooth areas on the pronotal disc.

Distribution

eastern Nearctic, Palearctic

Recorded host plants

New World: Prunus spp.

Old World: various broadleaf trees; Pinus, Picea, Abies

Remarks

16 species, one native to eastern North America. Two additional subgenera: (Pronocerodes) 2 spp. and (Prorrhopalopus) 2 spp. R. (R.) macropus, R. (R.) clavipes, and R. (R.) femoratus polyphagous on broadleaf trees and occasionally found on conifers (Sama 2002Sama 2002:
Sama, G. 2002. Atlas of the Cerambycidae of Europe and the Mediterranean Area. Volume 1: Nothern, Western, Central and Eastern Europe. British Isles and Continental Europe from France (excl. Corsica) to Scandinavia and Urals. Nakladatelstvi Kabourek, Zlin, 173 pp.).

Synonyms

Rhopalopus, Redtenbacher, 1845, Gattungen der deutschen Kaferfauna..., p. 110

Euryoptera Horn, 1860, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 12: 571

Taxonomy

Ropalopus Mulsant, 1839, Histoire naturelle des coleopteres de France, Longicornes, pp. 39, 40