Bug FAQSlender Long-horned Beetle
Necydalis mellita · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Cerambycidae
The slender long-horned beetle is about 2 cm (0.8 in) long. Its antennae extend beyond the length of its body and it has black and red coloration, an elongate shape and short wing covers. Because of these features it is often mistaken for a wasp.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s antennae are longer than its body and it shows black and red coloring, an elongated body and short elytra.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It measures roughly 2 cm (0.8 in) in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, District of Columbia, Michigan, Missouri.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does this beetle look like?
It has antennae longer than its body, black and red coloring, an elongate shape and short wing covers, which make it look like a wasp.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Cerambycidae)
House LonghornHylotrupes bajulusCan damage your home
Asian Longhorned BeetleAnoplophora glabripennisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red Milkweed BeetleTetraopes tetrophthalmus
White-spotted SawyerMonochamus scutellatusCan damage your home
Red Pine Longhorn BeetleStictoleptura rubra
Spotted Longhorn BeetleRutpela maculataSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necydalis_mellita
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.