Asbolus verrucosus is a new member of the team. They live off animal and plant debris in dune environments of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. Metabolic rate is reported to be quite low.

Eleodes longicollis is widespread throughout the west. They are common from spring to fall, and eager to perform headstands when approached. These have been kept the longest in the lab.

Eleodes obscura is the largest, at least by weight, of the local beetles.

Philolithus elatus mimics Eleodes obscura. It does not secrete defensive compounds, but hopes that predators do not know this. They die at the end of the fall, so they are not in the lab during the winter.

Zophobus morio (the correct name is probably Z. atratus) are commonly available as “superworms.” They come from warm, moist climates of Central and South America. Easy to rear, as long as you keep the larvae from eating the pupae.