Desert Longhorn
Body, dorsal
Ellura
Desert Longhorn
Head, profile
 
                      
Desert Longhorn (Microtragus mormon)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Beetles (Coleoptera)
Family: Longhorn Beetle (Cerambycidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Desert Longhorn (Microtragus mormon)
This Photo:     Anterior

Thank you Mark Hura for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
1st Live Photo on-line:
Almost spider like with very long legs and antennae.
Note the odd shaped compound eyes and 2 pair of ridges along it's back. The middle ridges start with small horn like projections.
It's covered in fine hairs, not visible to the eye, which enhance the white patches on the rear ridges.
We found a second, dead, specimen and thought the light colour was due to fading in the sun. But have since seen a photo of a live specimen which was also very light. So the overall colour can go from dark brown to pale grey.

Copyright © 2017-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 22-Feb-2017
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.