Priocera castanea (Newman, 1838)

Chapman, Eric G., Leavengood, John M. & Dupuis, Julian R., 2025, The Cleridae and Thanerocleridae of eastern North America, with illustrated keys, updated distributions, and special emphasis on the Kentucky fauna, Zootaxa 5639 (1), pp. 1-88 : 65

Priocera castanea (Newman, 1838) ; Cleridae : Clerinae : Priocerini

Illustrations: Plate 5-B. Key to clerid genera, couplet 14-G, couplet 19-A, couplet 20-A, B, C

Distribution: South FL to ME to MT to TX.

- Recorded from: AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV, and Ontario ( Wickham & Wolcott 1912; Wolcott 1947; Papp 1960; Barr 1975; Dorshorst & Young 2008; Lambdin et al. 2015; Opitz 2021; Leavengood et al. 2024; BugGuide). Bøving & Champlain (1920) and Opitz (2021; based a single specimen collected in 1904) recorded it from Arizona. It is suspected that these distributional notes were a product of a misidentification of either P. catalinae Cazier or P. chiricahuae Knull , both of which occur in Arizona ( Reily 2021).

- New State Record: DELAWARE: Kent County : 0.5 mi N of Dinahs Corner, 39°11’29”N, 75°38’50”W, at incandescent light, 28-VI-2001, R . F. C. Naczi ( RNC, 1) .

Kentucky counties (Map 30): Franklin (1), Hopkins (2), Madison (3), Robertson (1). The few Kentucky specimens were collected in the Interior Plateau and Interior River Valleys and Hills ecoregions.

Years: 2001 (1), 2009 (1), 2010 (3), 2011 (1), 2023 (1)

Months: June (3), July (2), August (2)

Collections (7): CEWC (1), EGC-CRC (3), JMLC (2), UKIC (1)

Collection methods: Malaise trap (2), blacklight (3)

Natural History: Nocturnal as adults. Bøving & Champlain (1920) reported adults collected from a white oak log

( Quercus alba ) infested with the ship timber beetle Lymexylon in Maryland (note: this is most likely Melittomma sericeum (Harris) , but the name Lymexylon has a complicated taxonomic history; Wheeler 1986). They also reported collecting it from pine ( Pinus ) infested with the red turpentine beetle ( Dendroctonus valens LeConte ) in Arizona,

and at night from dead hickory ( Carya ) in Pennsylvania. Gosling (1980) reported that it was attracted to UV lights in an oak-hickory forest. Hannula and Berisford (1984) frequently found adults on elm ( Ulmus ) logs infested with

Scolytus multistriatus (Marsham) . Ulyshen and Hanula (2010) had three adults emerge from loblolly pine logs

( Pinus taeda ) in South Carolina (specific infestations not noted).

Chemical lures: Leavengood (2008b) reported collections via Lindgren funnel traps baited with ethanol from label data, but the attractiveness of this lure to P. castanea has yet to be tested.