Leptura (Leptura) obliterata subsp. obliterata (Haldeman, 1847)

obliterata obliterata (Haldeman, 1847:62)
       vitiosa LeConte, 1854:18
       perductor Walker in Lord, 1866:333
       idahoensis Casey, 1913:259

Linsley and Chemsak (1976) recognized three subspecies of Leptura obliterata (Haldeman, 1847), all in North America. They are indistinguishable in their external morphology but vary in coloration. The Pacific Northwestern subspecies L. obliterata obliterata is common and widespread from British Columbia, Washington, Montana and Idaho, to the coastal ranges of California. The subspecies L. obliterata soror (LeConte, 1873) is restricted to the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California.  Both of the western subspecies are reported to use various species of Pinaceae as host plants. L. obliterata obliterata is also reported from Sequoia. The eastern subspecies, L. obliterata deleta (LeConte, 1850) is apparently extremely rare in collections and its host plant is unknown. (see Linsley and Chemsak, 1976) 

Diagnosis. According to L & C (p. 98), obliterata is recognizable among the North American species of Leptura by its elytral coloration, and can be distinguished from L. propinqua "​by the subdepressed pubescence of the pronotum in addition to the elytral coloration." The hairs on the pronotum in propinqua are sparse and erect. The Pacific Northwestern subspecies obliterata obliterata obtains two extreme forms in its elytral coloration which often occur within the same locality. The form with the elytral patterning reduced to one medial band and one posterior band greatly resembles propinqua as well as  the Sierra Nevadan subspecies obliterata soror. In soror the medial band is continuous across the central elytral margins.  

      
Above. (first two on left): Leptura obliterata ssp. obliterata; (middle-right) L. obliterata ssp. soror; (right) L. propinqua.

 
Above. Two specimens of Leptura obliterata ssp. obliterata showing variation in elytral patterning. Note that on the left example the median band is not continuous across the central margins of the elytra as it is in oblitera soror from the Sierra Nevadas of California. 

Biology
Linsley and Chemsak (1976) reported what was known at that time of the range, flight period, host plants, flower records and parasites of L. obliterata obliterata. They are:

Range. - British Columbia to coast ranges of California, to Idaho and Montana.
Flight period. - May to September.
Host plants. - Pinaceae (including Pinus, Abies, Tsuga, Pseudotsuga, Picea), Sequoia.
Flower records. - Bidens, Brassica, Veratrum, Chrysothamnus, Daucus, Spiraea, Heracleum, Achillea, Schizonotus, Anaphalis, Curcuta, Chrysolepsis.
Parasites. - Aulacostethus foxleei (Gasteruptiidae); Odontocolon punctatum  (Cushman) (Ichneumonidae).

Notes

Gressitt (1947), who was studying the longhorn beetles of Asia, noticed that the Japanese Leptura vicaria Bates, 1884 seemed to be a subspecies of Leptura obliterata. Linsley and Chemsak (1972, p. 98) remark however that "the long face and broad third hind tarsal segment of vicaria are differences which appear to justify recognition as a distinct species."

 
Above. Comment from Gressitt (1947).

Type Images
An image of the obliterata Haldane holotype can be viewed at Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology.

References

1. Casey, T. L. 1913. Further studies amongst the American Longicornia. Memoirs on the Coleoptera, 4:193-388.
2. Gressitt, J. L. 1947. Notes on the Lepturinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Proceedings Ent. Soc. Wash. 49 (7), 190-192.
3. Haldeman, S. S. 1847. Material towards a history of the Coleoptera Longicornia of the United States. Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., 10:27-66.
4. LeConte, J. L. 1850. An attempt to classify the longicorn Coleoptera of the part of America, north of Mexico. J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., (2)1:311-
   340; 2:5-38.
5. LeConte, J. L. 1854. Descriptions of some new Coleoptera from Oregon, collected by Dr. J. G. Cooper on the North Pacific R. R. expedition under
   Gov. J. J. Stevens. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 7:16-20.
6. LeConte, J. L. 1873. New species of North American Coleoptera. Prepared for the Smithsonian Institution. Part II. Smithson. Misc. Coll’ns.,
   11(264):169-238; (265):279-348.
7. Linsley, E.G. and J.A. Chemsak. 1976. Cerambycidae of North America. Part VI, No.2. Taxonomy and Classification of the Subfamily Lepturinae. University of California Publications in Entomology 80, 186 pp.
8. Walker, F. 1866. Appendix, in J. K. Lord, The Naturalist in Vancouver Island and British Columbia. London, Richard Bentley, 2: x + 375 pp., 4 pls. (Walker's Appendix, p. 289-375).