Staphylinidae

Staphylinidae are rove beetles, which are slender, elongate beetles with very short elytra. The elytra give the insect almost a four-body-segment look, and resemble pincer-less earwigs. The hinds wings are well developed and at rest are folded under the short elytra. They are active insects that run or fly rapidly. They often raise the tip of the abdomen like a scorpion if they feel threatened and their mandibles are large enough that they can inflict a bite if handled. The largest reach 25mm in length, and most are black or brown. It is one of the two largest families of beetles - there are 4,153 species in North America. I would key it to genus, but the closest I can get is tribe - my volume of beetles unfortunately does not cover polyphaga...perhaps I will get the next volume for Christmas...

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Staphylinoidea; Staphylinidae; Staphylininae; Staphylini; Ocypus sp.
Common Name: Large Rove Beetles

They were found at night, I only collected one. The other two I happened across during a night survey. The first one I ever found was by the beach, a lot of rove beetles can be found close to the shore. At any rate, there it is. Also, in one of the pictures, you can pretty clearly see the large mandibles. Three species of the genus include O. olens, O. nitens, and O. aeneocephalus, and the range of O. olens matches the location in which this specimen was found - so O. olens is the most likely candidate.

Random Night Survey

I came across a sleeping Jerusalem Cricket earlier and somehow it didn't occur to me to take a picture, since I have that one posed and drying on the pinning board. Since they're nocturnal I thought I might look around outside and see if I came across any - as there are three at the bottom of our pool right now. I ended up running into different insects plus arthropods, gastropods, and salamanders. Below are the pictures - with quick general identifications.

Formicidae (Ants), Xystodesmidae (Millipede Family), Coleoptera (I have three specimens, will devote a later entry to more specific identification), Machilidae (Bristletails)




Machilidae, Xystodesmidae



Raphidophoridae (Camel Crickets), Pulmonata (Slugs, Snails)



Coleoptera, Forficula auricularia (European Earwig)



Carabidae?(Ground Beetle), Pulmonata, Anisolabididae (Ring-Legged Earwigs, male based on asymmetric pincers)



Pulmonata, Diplopoda (Millipedes, Class)



Forficula auricularia, Ensatina eschscholtzii (Monterey Ensatina)



Batrachoseps attenuatus (California Slender Salamander)



Pulmonata eggs, Araneae (Spider) eggs, Pulmonata



Agelenidae (Funnel-Web Spiders), Lumbricina (Earthworm)

Eventually I'll get around to keying the three Coleopterans, but at this point I still am rather busy with medical school. I should make it a habit to do night surveys - they're a lot of fun. Thanks to Phil for the salamander IDs - it pays to have a friend who knows herps and amphibians.

Cerambycidae

I have already done two entries on Cerambycidae, but felt like making an entry about a particular beetle appearing all around the house lately. It looks slightly atypical for a cerambycid because the antennae are not as distinctly long as others of the family, and their bodies are not as slender. These beetles are in the subfamily Aseminae, which some place in the subfamily Spondylidinae. The next time I find a live specimen I will take a picture. Also, the creases on the thorax are from inadvertently crushing it while collecting.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Chrysomeloidea; Cerambycidae; Aseminae
Common Name: In the family of Longhorned beetles

These longhorned beetles of family Aseminae are most commonly found in coniferous forests, and the larvae feed on conifer trees. The adults are primarily nocturnal, and feed on their host plants. There is little noticeable difference between males and females, and the adults hide under bark during the day or when resting.

Elateridae part 2

I already did an entry about the family Elateridae, but I received a very recognizable click beetle from Kit's mom in Virginia. It is the species Alaus oculatus, or the Eyed Click Beetle. Unlike the tiny brown click-beetles we find here on the west coast, which are barely 1/2 inch long, the Eyed Click Beetle is 25-45mm long, and is decorated by white specks and eye spots: large black circles outlined in white. It is commonly found in deciduous forests and woodlands. It can be found most of the year, but most commonly in the spring and summer. The larvae are predatory, feeding on the larvae of other insects, particularly boring beetles like Cerambycids. The adults may feed on nectar and plant juices, are winged, and are attracted to lights.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Elateroidea; Elateridae; Agrypninae; Alaus oculatus
Common Names: (Eastern) Eyed Click Beetle, Eyed Elater

I always liked click beetles as a kid - they were harmless, flicked their bodies interestingly...I had never imagined they could get as large as this. It truly is a remarkable insect. The one pictured above is approximately 40mm long, and is actually the largest species of click beetle. Most elaterids are mottled-gray/brown/black and reach lengths of 12-30mm.

Cerambycidae (Unusual Elytra)

The typical Cerambycid is a beetle with long antennae, slightly enlarged femurs, and long elytra. In the case of this Cerambycid, the elytra have been reduced to nub-like coverings on the thorax, with the wings almost completely exposed. I have another entry about a Cerambycid of the subfamily Lepturinae, or flower longhorns. The common characteristic they share is the general trend of the elytra narrowing near the end of the abdomen, creating a shouldered look. When I first saw these insects, I almost mistook them for wasps, since they did not have easily visible elytra. There were quite a few darting among the flowers in Carmel.

Coleoptera; Polyphaga; Chrysomeloidea; Cerambycidae; Lepturinae; Necydalini; Necydalis laevicollis
Common Name: Flower Longhorn (Lepturinae)

The tribe Necydalini comprises of longhorn beetles with very short elytra that expose the abdomen and long flat wings with three veins in the post-cubital region. There is some debate whether they belong in Lepturinae or Molorchinae; however, it is generally agreed that the larvae, wing venation, and adult mouthparts most resemble those in the subfamily Lepturinae.

Back from Monterey

Well, there will be no official collection entries until I return to San Diego where my pinning and identifying equipment is, but here are some teaser live photos of insects and other animals spotted during the trip to Santa Cruz and Monterey. Those pictured below include a moth, a stone fly, two ants (I am 99% certain that that second ant is a winged reproductive individual, not a wasp), a beetle (fairly certain), and two bees, in addition to a banana slug and a salamander/newt - I'll wait for Phil to respond with an identification since he is the amphibian expert. Also, contrary to the popular myth, the underside of a banana slug does NOT numb the tongue. I very thoroughly tested this. The two bees are not common bumble bees or honey bees, so I look forward to keying them.

It ended up being quite a productive trip, since we found a caddisfly and a stonefly, both new ORDERS, not just new families. The stonefly, of family Plecoptera, is one of the older insect orders. They start their lives as aquatic nymphs, as do dragonflies. I will elaborate more on this order once I key the specimen to family - it will probably be one of my first entries after this hiatus!