An unsystematic catalog of the Coleopteran fauna in the environment surrounding the lab. With roughly 200 families worldwide and more than 100 in North America, this page is biased toward the most common and easy to photograph. Time permitting, other groups will receive appropriate attention.
A few species have links to pages of their own.
Click images to enlarge.
Family Carabidae: Ground and Tiger Beetles:
A large family of generally predatory beetles. Local ground beetles range in size from tiny to the very large warrior beetle shown at right.
Tiger Beetles: Cicindelinae
Tiger beetles get moved in and out of their own family, and are currently considered a subfamily of Carabidae. Nonetheless, with their ferocious appearance and specialized predatory lifestyle, they deserve their own entry.
Great Plains giant tiger beetles differ from other members of the family in being slow and flightless.
Family Cerambycidae: Longhorn Beetles
Black cactus longhorn beetles (Moneilema appressum)live among cholla cactus. Their larvae burrow inside the cactus, feeding on roots and stems. Adults of some species are convincing mimics of Eleodes longicollis.
Family Curculionidae: Weevils
Another extremely diverse family, with possibly 77,000 species worldwide. Some can be pests, such as the pinyon engraver Ips confusus.
Cimbocera conspersa has been found in northern New Mexico and eastern Utah, but its biology is essentially unknown.
Family Meloidae: Blister Beetles
Oil beetles in the genus Meloe are so named for the defensive secretions they release from their joints. They feed on foliage as adults, but are parasitic on native bees as larvae.
Family Silphidae: Burying and Carrion Beetles
As the name indicates, burying beetles prepare and bury vertebrate carcasses to provide a food source for their larvae.
Family Staphilinidae: Rove Beetles
These enormously diverse and ecologically important predators are often overlooked because of their generally small size and nondescript appearance.
Their wings are elaborately folded beneath short elytra.
Family Tenebrionidae: Darkling Beetles
Darkling beetles are the favorites of the lab crew, and have their own page.
Larvae live underground, and adults feed mostly on plant debris. Adult lifespans can vary from a few months to several years.