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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Rove, Carrion and Fungus Beetles (Staphylinoidea) » Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae) » Large Rove Beetles (Staphylininae) » Staphylinini » Ontholestes » Gold-and-brown Rove Beetle (Ontholestes cingulatus)
Photo#112352
Detail of the front of Gold-and-Brown Rove Beetle - Ontholestes cingulatus
Copyright © 2007 Stephen Cresswell

Detail of the front of Gold-and-Brown Rove Beetle - Ontholestes cingulatus
Near Ruraldale, Upshur County, West Virginia, USA
May 24, 2007
My earlier photos of this species were in July and August. This one is a May photo, so these guys must be around most of the warmer months.

I'm posting this cropped image to show the unusual widening of the front tarsi (though not at the apex!), and also the yellow belt under the thorax that is not well visible in a dorsal view.
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Contributed by Stephen Cresswell on 24 May, 2007 - 7:13pm

similar, but not same kind of speckles
in Elaphrus, these are in fact differently coloured impressions, whil in Ontholestes, the effect is mainly due to fine fur, differently directed (and coulored).
… Boris Büche, 25 May, 2007 - 5:11am login or register to post comments

Expanded front tarsi
might just be a sign it's a male. I wonder if there are some of this species in bugguide that have unexpanded front tarsi. Yes we do, here.
… Jim McClarin, 24 May, 2007 - 8:25pm login or register to post comments

 
Good point
Ah, good point! Going back to my own images, I found two out of the three individuals had the widened tarsi. I suppose they are used in getting a better hold on the female?
… Stephen Cresswell, 25 May, 2007 - 4:10am login or register to post comments

Interesting, we hadn't realized that it had
the same kind of elytral speckles as Elaphrus
… john and jane balaban, 24 May, 2007 - 8:18pm login or register to post comments

 
Nice comparison
Nice comparison, yes, you're right. When I read up on Elaphrus the authors used the word "fovea" to describe these spots. Depressions with color in them, basically.
… Stephen Cresswell, 25 May, 2007 - 4:09am login or register to post comments

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