About Moneilema gigas LeConte, 1873
Moneilema gigas LeConte, 1873 is a large, flightless black beetle native to the Sonoran Desert, found at elevations below 1500 meters. Its front wings are fused together to form a single hardened shell. Along with 19 other species in the genus Moneilema, M. gigas is commonly known as the cactus longhorn beetle. M. gigas typically feeds on cholla and prickly pear cacti, and it has also been recorded feeding on saguaro seedlings. Larvae bore into the roots and stems of cacti, and sometimes kill more vulnerable cactus individuals. Adult beetles feed on the surface of cacti. M. gigas is most active during mid or late summer, with adults typically emerging during the summer monsoon season. Like many other flightless beetles, this species has limited wing musculature and a rounded abdomen and thorax, giving it an appearance similar to several other flightless desert beetle species. Cactus longhorn beetles including M. gigas resemble noxious stink beetles of the genus Eleodes, and also mimic their behavior.
