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Photo#114055
good-sized pill beetle - Cytilus alternatus

good-sized pill beetle - Cytilus alternatus
Jefferson Notch area, Coos County, New Hampshire, USA
May 26, 2007
Size: about 4.5 mm
This little beetle was in the pool strainer net at the Jefferson Notch Motel and had no doubt suffered some chlorine immersion. It seemed incapable of walking. When it tried it rolled over onto its back. It also refused to extend its antennae.

Convinced that I would have to kill the beetle in order to get some shots of it in a life-like pose I dropped it into a vial of 70% ethyl alcohol. After a few minutes I took it out and began trying to brush its legs and antennae out, only to discover that it was still alive. Today it was still having problems but after I brushed out the legs and antennae it seemed to have more luck trying to walk. Best of all, it did not retract its antennae.

This image is actually a composite of two, allowing more of the beetle to appear in focus.

This and many other new (for me) beetle species were found in my several-visit quest in this area near Mt. Washington in search of the extremely rare Pyth*o stri*ctus, last reported from Mt. Washington over 100 years ago.

Images of this individual: tag all
good-sized pill beetle - Cytilus alternatus good-sized pill beetle - Cytilus alternatus good-sized pill beetle - Cytilus alternatus good-sized pill beetle - Cytilus alternatus

Moved
Moved from Pill Beetles.

wonders of nature
Probably the only creature that gets sober from alcohol :-)

It is genus Cytilus, and can´t be but the species alternatus according to this reference.

 
Super!
I agree since it looks like the only other species is only in the western states and provinces. I see the light-colored scutellum is evident on Tom Murray's images of this species as well.

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