The larvae of the largest insect in the Falkland Islands can be found boring through rotting wood in settlements, plantations and above the high-tide mark on beaches around the Islands.

They make a hearty meal for birds such as the Falkland Thrush.

Whilst these larvae are fairly common, the adult form is much more elusive. Only recently has the beetle been re-discovered by Dr Alex Jones as part of his work with the Falkland Islands Invertebrates Conservation Project. During his most recent fieldwork visit to the Islands in October 2006 he collected 15 adults from the Hill Cove region of West Falkland. Following an appeal in Penguin News, it has now come to light that live adults were previously collected from fence posts at Roy Cove some 12 years ago.

The adults are large beetles of the cerambycid family with very long feathered antennae. They are the largest of all insects known to breed in the Islands and live in the centre of rotten wood.

The adult male shown here is 1½” long, smaller than the female which can exceed 2” in body length. Photo: A Jones.

It has yet to be determined whether they are naturally occurring (arriving in the Islands in rotting wood floating on the sea) or accidentally introduced in wood shipped to the Islands by man. However they arrived, these animals can now be found in both East and West Falkland, their apparent rarity only due to the fact that they remain hidden as larvae inside fence posts and rotting wood for the majority of their lives. Dr Jones is now investigating which species it is and if it has a wider distribution outside of the Falkland Islands.