The Long Horned beetles belong to the family ‘Cerambycidae’. They are a cosmopolitan family of beetles and are typically characterized by their extremely long antennae. Their long antennae can often be as long as or longer than the beetles own body. In various members of the family, however, the antennae are quite short and such species can only be recognized with difficulty from related beetle families such as Chrysomelidae.
This family of beetles is a large one, with over 20,000 species described. Several are serious pests, with the larvae boring into wood, where they can cause extensive damage to either living trees or to wood in buildings. One particular species, the old house borer ‘Hylotrupes bajulus’ is a particular problem indoors.
A number of species mimic ants, bees and wasps, though a majority of species are cryptically coloured. The rare Giant Long Horned beetle (Titanus giganteus) from northeastern South America is often considered the largest (though not the heaviest, and not the longest including legs) insect, with a maximum known body length of just over 16 centimetres.