I n t r o d  u c t i o n

The family Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) consists of beetles that attack dead trees or fallen logs and are of economic importance because their wood­boring larvae are destructive to plants and freshly cut logs. In Sarawak, the cerambycids are known to attack valuable timber from the family Dipterocarpaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Sapotaceae and Leguminosae. Thus, the cerambycids are regarded as pest to our wood-based industry.

As compared to the surrounding regions, taxonomic work on Cerambycidae of Sarawak is still lacking. The works by Fisher (1934, 1935), Gressitt & Rondon (1970), Hayashi (1969, 1975, 1976a, 1976b, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987) and Hudepohl (1987, 1983, 1988, 1989a, 1989b, 1990a, 1990b, 1992a, 1992b) on the cerambycids from South-east Asia regions, are however not solely concentrated solely on Borneo or to be more precise, the state of Sarawak. Their findings gave us an idea how diversified and abundant the cerambycids are in this regions. Together with the fact that many of the previously described species from Sarawak have never been found or reported again, there is a crucial need to carefully compile and catalogue the cerambycid fauna of Sarawak.

The main objective of this study is to review the taxonomic status and the diversity of the longhorn beetles of Sarawak in the subfamily Cerambycinae. This study also covers the species distribution of this subfamily, both within the state and the surrounding regions.

This thesis is divided into two parts. The first deals with the systematic account of the subfamily Cerambycinae in Sarawak based on specimens housed in the Sarawak Museum, Forestry Department and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Insect Reference Collection. The latter part deals with their distributions based on data compiled from existing collections in the state and literature citations. It is hoped that this study will serve as a fundamental work for future references as well as a complete checklisting and contribution to our understanding of this subfamily.