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Trip Report - Southern Sierras in California


JWRay

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Just got back from a weekend trip to the Kernville area to collect some bugs with good ole' Peter, and we had another successful adventure!

 

Here are a few of the beetle finds:

 

Tenebs%20A_zpsn2ga1zkv.jpg

 

Some Tenebs in their new home.

 

Tenebs%20B_zps2jmfmtfn.jpg

 

A closeup. These guys were very abundant after dark on & under the bark of fallen conifers around 4500 feet in elevation.

 

Nycto%20A_zpsoszkopb9.jpg

 

I believe this guy is a Nyctoporis. They were found sparsely in a wide variety of areas, but were abundant after dark in riparian areas at lower elevations along the Kern River.

 

Omus%20californicus_zpsctx9erxi.jpg

 

While I haven't keyed it out, I assume this is Omus californicus. Omus were abundant in many areas. I have a few specimens that have smooth elytra, which seems to rule out O. californicus. I will try to key those out once I have a chance.

 

Of course, there was a LOT more stuff around. I will post more pictures later this week.

 

 

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Just got back from a weekend trip to the Kernville area to collect some bugs with good ole' Peter, and we had another successful adventure!

 

Here are a few of the beetle finds:

 

Tenebs%20A_zpsn2ga1zkv.jpg

 

Some Tenebs in their new home.

 

Tenebs%20B_zps2jmfmtfn.jpg

 

A closeup. These guys were very abundant after dark on & under the bark of fallen conifers around 4500 feet in elevation.

 

Nycto%20A_zpsoszkopb9.jpg

 

I believe this guy is a Nyctoporis. They were found sparsely in a wide variety of areas, but were abundant after dark in riparian areas at lower elevations along the Kern River.

 

Omus%20californicus_zpsctx9erxi.jpg

 

While I haven't keyed it out, I assume this is Omus californicus. Omus were abundant in many areas. I have a few specimens that have smooth elytra, which seems to rule out O. californicus. I will try to key those out once I have a chance.

 

Of course, there was a LOT more stuff around. I will post more pictures later this week.

 

Ooh, those top tenebs are some species of Scotobaenus, a very cool darkling beetle indeed, let me know how they do for you! :D

The second species of teneb is indeed a Nyctoporis, nice find! :)

Oooh, gotta love Omus, they are like mini Amblycheila!

Overall it seems like you had a great trip, and a good haul!

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Ooh, those top tenebs are some species of Scotobaenus, a very cool darkling beetle indeed, let me know how they do for you! :D

 

Cool, thanks for the ID. I hadn't found time to key them out yet, so I had no clue what genus they were in.

 

Not really sure what kind of captive care requirements they have, but we shall see how they do.

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Cool, thanks for the ID. I hadn't found time to key them out yet, so I had no clue what genus they were in.

 

Not really sure what kind of captive care requirements they have, but we shall see how they do.

 

No problem, glad I could help! :) They will probably eat dog food, fruits and veggies like other Tenebs, and will probably require some rotten wood or leaf litter to induce oviposition, seeing as they are a forest dwelling species.

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A few more interesting finds on the trip:

 

pterostichus_zpssvnmyv4e.jpg

 

Caught a handful of these giant beasts - Pterostichus lama perhaps. Stinky dudes, that is for sure.

 

P6010013_zpsuwcm6i5w.jpg

 

And of course not a beetle but still really cool. We found a few of these guys, which I think are in the genus Californiulus.

 

 

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Very neat, that Pterostichus does look a lot like P.lama, which are known for being quite large.

 

Cool millipede, looks a bit hairy in the front! Do you plan on breeding them? Hope so, we don't have enough native millipedes in the hobby, and most of the commonly seen Julids are usually European species.

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