November 2012. An interception by the quarantine authorities in China. It was found in fabric imported from Papua New Guinea. What is it? (Female, photo, left; male, photo, top right; and photo, below left).

The images were sent to Mike (FSAC Administrator) and then to Dan Heffern, Houston, USA, who said the following: “I think it is in the genus Epania (Molorchini), of which there are about 3 species in Papua New Guinea and countless species from Solomon Islands to China and Thailand. If it is fact an Epania, then it readily keys out to E. albertisi, using the key in: Gressitt. J. L. 1959. Longicorn beetles from New Guinea, I. (Cerambycidae). Pacific Insects. 1(1):59-171, 50 fig., which I believe can be downloaded from the Internet through the Bishop Museum, or I can email the pdf to you if you want, but there are no pictures of any Epania in that work”.

“It would be no stretch of the imagination for it to be a new species, because that area has had relatively little work done with its fauna. I have some Epania from Borneo and Laos in my collection. They all have abbreviated elytra. I doubt if this species feeds on live wood, so they probably don’t need to fear much. The best person to attempt further ID would be Dr. Tatsuya Niisato in Japan ([email protected])”.

(Our thanks to Ron Burrow, CariPestNet, for help with this identification)