AROMIA MOSCHATA
MUSK BEETLE
The musk beetle (Aromia moschata) is a beautiful Eurasian species of longhorn beetle belonging to the subfamily Cerambycinae, tribe Callichromatini.
Its name comes from the delicate musky smell it emits when menaced. Body length is 13-35mm. Life cycle 2-3 years.
The beetle has a shell with an iridescence metallic tone that changes with the angle of view. It has a hard shell around the thorax with hard sharp spines.
Aromia moschata is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful European longhorn beetles, in addition, it is very variable in color, which can be green, less often blue, blue-violet to black-violet, or copper-red. A. moschata is a Palaearctic species widespread from North Africa to Japan with several subspecies of uncertain systematic value. The nominal subspecies, Aromia moschata moschata, is focused in the Central Europe, reaching westward the Cantabrian Mts., eastwards to the European part of Russia, southwards to central Italy and the Balkans, and northwards over most of Scandinavia and Great Britain
The adults are usually found on leaves, especially those of the willow trees, where the larva of this species lives. Larvae are yellow-white in colour with darker brown heads.
Female musk beetles lay their eggs in the wood of living willow trees. The hatched larvae live and develop in the tree, as well as feeding on its wood, for up to three years. After those three years, the larvae go into pupation and burrow out of the wood when they emerge as adults.
The secretion with the characteristic musky smell is produced in thoracic glands,and is expelled through openings located on the distal part of the metasternum, near the hind legs articulation. The secretion was formerly supposed to contain salicylaldehyde or a salicylic ether, but there is now evidence that it consists instead mainly of four different monoterpenes, among which is rose oxide, one of the most important fragrances in perfumery.