Cacia is a genus of longhorn beetles (family Cerambycidae) belonging to the subfamily Lamiinae and tribe Mesosini. It was first described by the English entomologist Edward Newman in 1842, based on the type species Cacia spinigera. The genus comprises approximately 130 species and is widely distributed across the Indo-Australian region, including Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and parts of East Asia.
Description
Cacia species are typically black with pale yellow patterns over the body and legs, usually in the form of thick spots or detailed speckles. Like other species in the subfamily Lamiinae, they have fairly pale markings, and their colors are not as bright yellow as some other longhorn beetles. The antennae of Cacia beetles are slightly longer than the length of their bodies.
Subgenera and Species
The genus is divided into several subgenera, including Acanthocacia, Cacia (sensu stricto), Coreothrophora, Ipocregyes, Pericacia, Pseudocacia, and Spinocacia. Notable species include:
- Cacia cretifera — described by Frederick William Hope in 1831; known from Java, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, China, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam; feeds on Berberis thunbergii and Albizia julibrissin.
- Cacia spinigera — the type species of the genus, described by Newman in 1842.
- Cacia lepesmei — described by J. L. Gressitt in 1951; known exclusively from southern China.
References
- Biolib.cz – Cacia. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- Wikipedia – Cacia (beetle).
