Adults about 23–36 mm long, excluding antennae.
Fine-art photographic collection
Stellognatha maculata
A longhorn so taxonomically isolated that its genus contains only this single living species.
About this species
Stellognatha maculata(Olivier, 1795)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Stellognatha maculata is a large Madagascan longhorn with a black body, cream patches and antennae substantially longer than its body. It is the sole recognised species of Stellognatha.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Cerambycidae · Stellognatha
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
MadagascarBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Madagascar
Tropical forest and woodland with dead or weakened trees.
Adults are mainly active in warm conditions, often on trunks and branches.
Larvae tunnel in wood; adults take sap or plant fluids when feeding.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
Stellognatha is monotypic: this one species carries the entire living branch name, so its extinction would erase not only a species but a complete recognised genus.
The antennae extend far beyond the abdomen and are moved independently, giving the beetle a sensory perimeter much larger than the armoured body visible at the centre.
Cream patches break across the head, thorax and wing cases rather than forming one continuous stripe, fragmenting a large black silhouette into disconnected pieces against mottled bark and lichen.
Sources and scientific references
- GBIF — taxon record/search for Stellognatha maculata
- Catalogue of Life — taxon search for Stellognatha maculata
- Stellognatha maculata — measurements, markings and Madagascar distribution
- Monotypic genus record listing Stellognatha maculata as the sole species
- Checklist of the Sternotomini of Madagascar and adjacent islands