Eleodes gigantea

Eleodes gigantea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Tenebrionidae
Genus: Eleodes
Species:
E. gigantea
Binomial name
Eleodes gigantea

Eleodes gigantea is a species of desert stink beetle or darkling beetle[1] in the family Tenebrionidae.[2][3][4] They can be found from San Francisco, California down to Tijuana, Mexico, however, they are more typically located in the lower half of California from Santa Cruz to San Diego.[5]

They typically have a smooth black elytron and like other species of Eleodes, when frightened they secrete benzoquinone[6] and upturn their bodies to spray it. The secretion is orange in color and has a strong odor that causes the eyes to water.[7]

Eleodes gigantea meridionalis have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits[8] and some of the earliest reports of the species date back to 1918.[5] They are most active during sundown.[7]

Eleodes gigantea

References

  1. ^ Braun, Jenna; Westphal, Michael; Lortie, Christopher J. (September 2021). "The shrub Ephedra californica facilitates arthropod communities along a regional desert climatic gradient". Ecosphere. 12 (9): e03760. doi:10.1002/ecs2.3760.
  2. ^ "Eleodes gigantea". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  3. ^ "Eleodes gigantea species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  4. ^ Bousquet, Yves; Thomas, Donald B.; Bouchard, Patrice; Smith, Aaron D.; et al. (2018). "Catalogue of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of North America". ZooKeys. 728: 1–455. doi:10.3897/zookeys.728.20602. PMC 5799738. PMID 29416389.
  5. ^ a b Blaisdell, FE (1918). "Studies in the tenebrionid tribe Eleodiini. No. 4 (Coleop.)" (PDF). Entomological News. 29: 380–387. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Holliday, Alison E.; Walker, Faye M.; Brodie, Edmund D.; Formica, Vincent A. (2009-11-01). "Differences in Defensive Volatiles of the Forked Fungus Beetle, Bolitotherus cornutus, Living on Two Species of Fungus". Journal of Chemical Ecology. 35 (11): 1302–1308. doi:10.1007/s10886-009-9712-7. PMID 19936835.
  7. ^ a b Emerton, J. H. (1921). "Notes on Canadian and Arctic spiders". Psyche: 147–148. doi:10.1155/1921/36012.
  8. ^ "Invertebrate Collections". La Brea Tar Pits & Museum.

Further reading


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