Eleodes debilis

[Hisserdude]

Eleodes debilis, another species from Fort Stockton TX. This species belongs to the monotypic subgenus Omegeleodes, that's right, this little species has a whole subgenus all to itself! 🙂 I was having difficulty identifying this one, at first I thought they were E.carbonaria, but just in case I decided to send pictures to avid Tenebrionid enthusiast Isaac Fox, who after asking a couple questions about morphology was able to confirm that these were E.debilis, based on the outer tibial spurs on their front legs being longer than the inner ones, which evidently makes them debilis rather than carbonaria. Funny the tiny differences that can be used to differentiate species, big thanks to Isaac for helping me identify these cuties!

This species has never entered culture before as far as I know, so I don't know what to expect in terms of difficulty, fingers crossed I can breed them with relative ease, and document my progress along the way! 🙂 I have them set up on a sand/coco fiber mix, and will keep a third of their setup humid, the rest dry. Their enclosure is very well ventilated, and I'll dog food for their staple diet. Pretty basic Eleodes setup, which I'll make adjustments to if needed.

Female:

Male:

[Ratmosphere]

Love the antennae on the male. Looks a bit longer than the females, no?

[Hisserdude]

On 7/26/2021 at 8:02 PM, Ratmosphere said:

Love the antennae on the male. Looks a bit longer than the females, no?

Yeah, bit longer on the males, males are lankier overall, the females are much more chonky and compact.