Asemum moestum

Pruner Prun"er, n. 1. One who prunes, or removes, what is superfluous. [1913 Webster]

2. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several species of beetles whose larv[ae] gnaw the branches of trees so as to cause them to fall, especially the American oak pruner ({Asemum m[oe]stum}), whose larva eats the pith of oak branches, and when mature gnaws a circular furrow on the inside nearly to the bark. When the branches fall each contains a pupa. [1913 Webster]