In addition to its other functions, this site serves as a notebook for keeping track of data and references. In our effort to keep a handle on the local species’ characteristics and publications, information about each will be posted on its own page.
Eleodes obscura, participating in notetaking. 9/20/23.
The first species to receive this honor is the prominent, large, and widespread stink beetle, Eleodes obscura. It has been the subject of field surveys, respirometry experiments, and longevity studies here at the lab, and may be the most studied species of Eleodes.
Expect more pages to become active with time. Hopefully, this will become a resource that many people in the community can make use of.
Pitfall trap array after a night of snowfall. The blue flags marking the locations are visible, but the traps are difficult to find. 3/8/25.
The pitfall traps were set this month with the expectation that it would be too cold for small arthropods to be active. The data would serve as a baseline for later surveys, when bugs would be more active. As if to emphasize this point, we got a few inches of snow the night before the traps were to be collected.
Pitfall trap under snow. It is somewhere near the flag. 3/8/25.
Even though each trap was marked with a flag and had a big rock on top, some were hard to find under the snow, and I had to be careful to avoid spilling too much snow into the cups.
When I got them back to the lab, I was in for a surprise.
Ant caught in pitfall trap. Species unknown, but not Pogonomyrmex. 3/8/25.
The cups were not overflowing with life, but there was plenty to see. The most common insects were ants. About half (maybe 5) were the large, leggy species shown above. The rest were the much smaller species shown below. Sorry there’s no scale, but they were moving too quickly for that. I preserved some, so may post better photos later.
Small ant species. 3/8/25.
There were also quite a few springtails (Collembolans), probably of several species.
Springtail caught in pitfall trap. 3/8/25.
They are extremely tiny, and I know little about them, so all I can say at this point is that there were springtails active in the neighborhood.
Spider from pitfall trap. 3/8/25.
There were also at least three spiders, of at least two species. According to iNaturalist, the spider shown above is a ground crab spider in the genus Xysticus.
Most exciting were two species of beetles.
Grey weevil with dark blotches, covered with coarse hair. 3/8/25.
One weevil fell into a trap. It is about 6 mm from nose to tail. Looks somewhat like Ophryastes, but I am not certain.
Beetle larva, probably in the family Melyridae. Note the relatively long thorax and the urogomphi (spiky things) extending from the end of the abdomen. Ruler scale is millimeters. 3/8/25.
There were also two larvae that looked like they were in the family Melyridae, or soft-winged flower beetles. They looked identical to each other, so maybe they are relatively common around here. The larval biology of most beetles, including the Melyridae, is not well documented, so it may be impossible to determine the species of these guys.
It was a pleasant surprise to find some little arthropods in the traps this month, especially a few species of beetles.
There were, however, no Tenebrionids as yet. In that way, this month’s collection does actually serve as a control. I expect that we may find some of them when the traps are reset in early April.
I got a shipment of 15 blue death-feigning beetles (Asbolus verrucosus) yesterday from Bugs in Cyberspace. If the goal of the lab is to study the biology of the local wildlife of the semi-arid savannah, why would I be interested in Asbolus, a creature from the hot, dry Sonoran and Mojave deserts? Well, aside from them being cute, lumpy, blueish, and acting like they are dead (see below), their biology is worth a look. Compared to the local species of Eleodes and Philolithus, Asbolus is adapted to much more extreme conditions, with scarce resources and high temperatures. One reported adaptation for these difficult conditions is a much lower metabolic rate than those I have measured for Eleodes and Philolithus. However, the experiments were done long ago and under different conditions. When I saw that these guys were available online, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to revisit their oxygen consumption and temperature sensitivity.
Tenebrionid beetles, like Eleodes, Philolithus, and Asbolus, employ thanatosis, or playing dead, as a defensive strategy. With Eleodes and Philolithus, I am accustomed to them freezing for a while during handling, but it is not particularly convincing. Most of the time they try to wiggle away rather than playing dead.
Don’t eat me, I’m dead.
Asbolus, on the other hand, lives up to its name of death-feigning beetle, and fakes its own death at every opportunity. Whenever they are handled, they turn over and stick their legs out like cartoon characters, and will do so repeatedly. This may be their only choice. They have no defensive stink glands (like Eleodes), nor do they mimic a stinky species (as Philolithus mimics Eleodes), so playing dead may be the most effective strategy.
They will need to settle in for a few weeks before experiments get started, and the real test will be in the summer when all of the local beetles have their metabolisms at full throttle.
