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Arizona beetles


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Hey there all, I'm planning a trip to Arizona over the summer, possibly in June or July. I'm looking to collect as many kinds of beetle as I can and was wondering if anyone knows of some good spots or tips. I'll be using blacklights and possibly mercury vapor if I can get one to work worth a power inverter for me.

I'm really wanting to collect specifically:

chrysina gloriosa or other chrysina

Phanaeus vindex

Dynastes granti

And any other beetles with colors or large size.

I normally focus on hymemoptera and diptera bit I want to collect some beetles for my preserved collection and breeding.

 

I'll be there for a week, but I don't know the best time to go off the year or places to visit. I'll be road tripping around to the best places that people can tell me about.

Thanks all.

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No I did see those desert beetles (darklings), scorpions, spiders, loads of moths and sand roaches... if I went for an actual camping trip focused on entomological study and collection I'd find more. Typically go south Arizona if you want to find desert species and go north if you want giant d granti or any temperate species. The cities aren't really good for getting insects. I tried lookin for some in November no luck cause it's cold

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No I did see those desert beetles (darklings), scorpions, spiders, loads of moths and sand roaches... if I went for an actual camping trip focused on entomological study and collection I'd find more. Typically go south Arizona if you want to find desert species and go north if you want giant d granti or any temperate species. The cities aren't really good for getting insects. I tried lookin for some in November no luck cause it's cold

Were they interesting kinds of moths? I'd be interesting in light trapping them too.

 

Also does anyone know if Chrisyna are attracted to UV light or would I have to get a mercury vapor?

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Payson, AZ is the best-known place to collect D. granti. Late Aug to early Sept is the best time. You probably won't see them in June or July. If you want to collect both Chrysina and moths by the bucketful, go to southeast AZ during the monsoon season (late July to early August) Here's a link: http://nitro.biosci.arizona.edu/zEEB/butterflies/AZLeps.html

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Were they interesting kinds of moths? I'd be interesting in light trapping them too.

 

Also does anyone know if Chrisyna are attracted to UV light or would I have to get a mercury vapor?

I did see some nice large and small moths flyin around. Arizona is legit pretty good, been trying to find neobarretta spinosa.

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If you happen to find any Eremoblatta nymphs on your trip, please collect some for me lol! :lol: Would love to get them into culture! That goes for anyone else in AZ, west Texas, southern CA and southern NV!

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If you happen to find any Eremoblatta nymphs on your trip, please collect some for me lol! :lol: Would love to get them into culture! That goes for anyone else in AZ, west Texas, southern CA and southern NV!

I'll keep an eye out for them! I'll be around the Joshua Tree area next week if anyone wants to meet up, do they live there?

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No I did see those desert beetles (darklings), scorpions, spiders, loads of moths and sand roaches... if I went for an actual camping trip focused on entomological study and collection I'd find more. Typically go south Arizona if you want to find desert species and go north if you want giant d granti or any temperate species. The cities aren't really good for getting insects. I tried lookin for some in November no luck cause it's cold

 

 

Sounds really fun. I need to go to AZ! Ever find a tarantula just walking outside?

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I'll keep an eye out for them! I'll be in Joshua Tree next week if anyone wants to meet up, do they live there?

YES, they do live in that area! Check under rocks, among plant roots in sandy soil and perhaps in rodent burrows to find them, they are pretty small, round and very hairy.

Here's an individual from that area:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/739724/bgimage

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YES, they do live in that area! Check under rocks, among plant roots in sandy soil and perhaps in rodent burrows to find them, they are pretty small, round and very hairy.

Here's an individual from that area:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/739724/bgimage

ooh that's beautiful! I'll definitely search for them, hopefully I can find more than one! If I can find more I'll contact you. I'll be blacklighting too, think they might come to that?

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ooh that's beautiful! I'll definitely search for them, hopefully I can find more than one! If I can find more I'll contact you. I'll be blacklighting too, think they might come to that?

 

Yeah, they are really unique, and may also be tricky to breed. Yeah, I hope so too, the more the merrier, (though one gravid female would probably be enough to start a culture). Awesome, thank you very much! :D

 

Males have wings and often fly to lights, however the females and nymphs, which are what you need to start a colony, prefer to stay hidden and don't come to lights at all. :(

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Hey there all, I'm planning a trip to Arizona over the summer, possibly in June or July. I'm looking to collect as many kinds of beetle as I can and was wondering if anyone knows of some good spots or tips. I'll be using blacklights and possibly mercury vapor if I can get one to work worth a power inverter for me.

I'm really wanting to collect specifically:

chrysina gloriosa or other chrysina

Phanaeus vindex

Dynastes granti

And any other beetles with colors or large size.

I normally focus on hymemoptera and diptera bit I want to collect some beetles for my preserved collection and breeding.

 

I'll be there for a week, but I don't know the best time to go off the year or places to visit. I'll be road tripping around to the best places that people can tell me about.

Thanks all.

Tuson Arizona is a mega hotspot for Dynastes Granti but I would advise getting there early in the beetle collecting season because you will be have a lot of steep competition with other collectors

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Tuson Arizona is a mega hotspot for Dynastes Granti but I would advise getting there early in the beetle collecting season because you will be have a lot of steep competition with other collectors

 

Is it? Because I live here and I have never seen one, haha. Are there particular spots you know of that are good for finding them?

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Loads of the environment, not too many of the animals since i barely saw any. You can check them out on my Instagram as I post them, my Instagram is Ichneumonidae.

 

EDIT__

I realize you now mean the beetles, I'm stupid lol. I'll post a pic or two of them on here when I get the chance if anyone can ID them for me.

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