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Prionus

Genus of beetles

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated August 30, 2026
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Prionus Geoffroy, 1762 is a genus of long-horned beetles of the subfamily Prioninae, tribe Prionini, widespread in Europe, Asia and North America.

01Description

The members of this genus are large (25-70 mm) and usually brown or black.

All members of the genus Prionus have twelve or more strongly toothed or even flabellate antennomeres on their large antennae.

The only species present in England is "the tanner", Prionus coriarius (Linnaeus, 1758).

Common North American species include the "tile-horned prionus", Prionus imbricornis, the "California root borer", Prionus californicus, and the "broad-necked root borer", Prionus laticollis.

P. coriarius
P. coriarius

02Biology

The adults are nocturnal and are attracted to light, while their larvae feed on rotting wood or roots.

03Species

The following species are recognised in the genus Prionus:

Watch videos about PrionusExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Prionus”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

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