Rhagium bifasciatum, sometimes called the
two-banded longhorn beetle, is one of the commonest
longhorn beetles in
Europe,
Turkey and the
Caucasus, although it is absent from the far north-east of Europe and some offshore
islands, such as
Malta. It may reach 22
mm long and can be distinguished by the two prominent pale yellow bands on each of the
elytra, although up to seventeen different patterns have been recognised .
Like other longhorn beetles, R. bifasciatum lays its eggs in dead wood, mostly of coniferous trees, where they bore deep, broad tunnels until they are pupate after about two years . The adults feed on a wide variety of coniferous and broad-leaved trees .
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