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PIcked these up in Socal... trying to ID


Ometeo

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Thank you all.

 

Orin,

I am now a bit confused.

 

I have found more click beetles than iron clads in the area, but have actually found adult Elaterids in the immediate vicinity where the larvae was found.

It is still in larval stage and is eating hungrily through the wood, I'll have to wait for it to hatch.

 

Ando, thank you so much, I am now looking at the different species of Chlaenius in the area.

 

Thank you too Mashku.

 

Lastly, how can I differentiate between Scaphinotus sp and Calosoma sp.?

I am a bit stumped on the middle picture.

 

thank you all,

 

 

Ometeo

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Orin,

I am now a bit confused.

 

I have found more click beetles than iron clads in the area, but have actually found adult Elaterids in the immediate vicinity where the larvae was found.

It is still in larval stage and is eating hungrily through the wood, I'll have to wait for it to hatch.

 

I think, and the kaeferforum Guys too, the larva is new eclose, i mean it left it old skin... maybe.

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I´m lost the Link, sorry :

 

http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

 

 

ahh... bugguide.

Yup, thanks ;)

 

Here's some more pics of the first larvae, I did notice two pronounced "horn" like structures in the last segment of it. (see picture #2)

Also, there are some markings which can be clearly seen on the dorsal side (see pictures #3 & #4)

 

I hope this aids in the identification of it.

post-3598-126946164012_thumb.jpg

post-3598-126946166077_thumb.jpg

post-3598-126946167908_thumb.jpg

post-3598-126946170777_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Turns out the little larvae that remains unidentified was not alone...

 

I've just spent ~1 hr looking at the log where it was originally found and it turns out it is chock-full of them.

 

Also noticed that the little larvae is indeed little... must be an L1... I extracted 4 others of various sizes (and left three more alone in their little tunnels), one of them, the largest one, is at least three times the girth of the small larvae, and at least 1 1/2 times the length.

 

I will have to take pics tomorrow and start a new thread, but with a later instar, identification *may* be easier...

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  • 2 months later...

Interesting posts!

 

In my experience the Calosoma are significantly larger than the Scaphinotus, at least the few species I've encountered in the wild and the online hobby.

 

The Ironclad beetle family can be found at the following link:

 

http://bugguide.net/node/view/5779/bgpage

 

but this is the most familiar species, I think...

 

http://bugguide.net/node/view/54852/bgpage

 

Many people confuse ironclad beetles with the similar darkling beetles, but they are in a different family.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I was wrong again, but Orin was right :P

turned out to be Phloeodes diabolicus, nice little sucker at that.

 

The other larvae are an Eleodes sp., not sure which, I've taken several pictures of their development and will post them as soon as I can.

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