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Photo#1028074
Female Rain Beetle Sighting in Atascadero, California - Pleocoma badia - female

Female Rain Beetle Sighting in Atascadero, California - Pleocoma badia - Female
Atascadero, San Luis Obispo County, California, USA
December 14, 2014
Size: 1" to 1.5"
I've NEVER, in all my life living in California, seen a Rain Beetle. My neighbor's cat "found" this beauty on my porch one rainy late afternoon. I live in Atascadero on the Central Coast of California (near Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo) and after 3 years of drought, the few days of heavy rain we had may be the reason for my (or should I say, my neighbor's cat's) "discovery" of this unusual beetle.

Being the inquisitive person that I am when I "discover" something new, I go to the internet. After reading descriptions of male and female Rain Beetles I'm sure this one was a female due to size and color - a more RARE sighting since females typically stay in their burrows underground.

This Rain Beetle was walking around on my porch, in the winter, about 8pm at night. My porch is located next to my California Live Oak tree, which stands in the middle of my copious bed of ivy. I thought maybe this girl crawled from her den, possibly located under the ivy bed?

She walked around rather lethargically on the cement...maybe because she was injured? Or she was about to die?

Images of this individual: tag all
Female Rain Beetle Sighting in Atascadero, California - Pleocoma badia - female Female Rain Beetle Sighting in Atascadero, California - Pleocoma badia - female Female Rain Beetle Sighting in Atascadero, California - Pleocoma badia - female Female Rain Beetle Sighting in Atascadero, California - Pleocoma badia - female Female Rain Beetle Sighting in Atascadero, California - Pleocoma badia - female

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

...yes, the hard to find female rain beetle...
I have some (males) from Atascadero and they are now called Pleocoma badia hirsuta.

 
That's great.
Bruce, Nice to know our Atascadero Rain Beetles are being appreciated in other states. :-)
I'm on the look out for more females this winter.

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