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Home » Forums » General Discussion

Rain Beetle Season 2018-2019

Welcome to this year's Rain beetles thread. As in last year's thread and the threads from previous years, feel free to use this thread to report your encounters and observations of these fascinating beetles.

We didn't have a lot of activity in last year's thread, but I thought I'd run the thread one more year. We've already had some rain beetle activity this season -- activity in the literature as two new species have just been described from Oregon and Washington (1). I know for a fact that there are additional undescribed species out there awaiting description and likely even more awaiting discovery.

For those who enjoy getting up at odd hours and standing in the rain next to a light or for those of us who are really committed (or maybe should be...) who set out many lanterns to catch these beetles, the fall rains can't come soon enough. If none of that seems fun to you, maybe just set out a pan of water under your porch light and leave it on when it rains. You might just catch a rain beetle.

Happy Beetling!
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Contributed by Brady Richards on 5 September, 2018 - 12:08pm

Would like to see a Pleocoma this season
If anyone is coming by So Cal and wants to search for one of our species, let me know!
… James Bailey, 2 December, 2018 - 1:50pm login or register to post comments

Pleocoma staff
The rains have finally arrived on the Ridge above Chico and the Pleocoma staff have been flying. I caught one yesterday by accident, but had nine show up to the porch light this morning.
… Brady Richards, 23 November, 2018 - 6:35pm login or register to post comments

 
Pleocoma staff
This species continues to emerge in my neck of the woods. I witnessed many males flying during daylight the other day.
… Brady Richards, 28 November, 2018 - 6:55pm login or register to post comments

Range?
I notice all the bugguide records are coming from California and Oregon though the family info page implies they can be found as far east as Utah. Is there any chance that I would be able to find these at home in Arizona?
… Chris Mallory, 13 October, 2018 - 4:24pm login or register to post comments

 
Pacific Coast
The range should just be southern Washington, Oregon, California and extreme northern Baja California. The Utah record is considered to be invalid. There was also an Alaska record at one time which is also considered invalid. There are no records from AZ or NV.
… Brady Richards, 13 October, 2018 - 4:58pm login or register to post comments

Pleocoma staff
A colleague living in Magalia, CA had a male wind up in his swimming pool yesterday. We had maybe 0.65 inches of rain last week but it's been dry since. My colleague waters his plants so I'm assuming that's what brought this lone male up early.

Has anybody else seen rain beetles yet this season?
… Brady Richards, 12 October, 2018 - 2:31pm login or register to post comments

 
hoping
to get in on some collecting as I will be out that way for the ESA meeting and will be spending some time in Portland with the mighty scarab specialist Ron McPeak!
… Guy A. Hanley, 13 October, 2018 - 5:07pm login or register to post comments

 
November 4
So we got lucky and had some rain come through the Dalles area east of Portland, and although a bit late in the season, scored two P. oregonensis males in the fountain at Sorosis Park, and eight P. minor males further west in a mountain bike trail area, allmost all in standing puddles on the trails, We also found one lone elytra of P. crinita but no luck finding whole individuals,
… Guy A. Hanley, 5 November, 2018 - 9:50am login or register to post comments

 
Oregon
That's great!

I was up in Oregon the week before last. I wasn't able to do any rain beetling, though. I came close to visiting the infamous Tree Farm site. I really wanted to drop by and at least see the place, but alas, I was unable.
… Brady Richards, 23 November, 2018 - 6:37pm login or register to post comments

 
I have specimens from the tree farm
Male and female pairs of P. dubatabilis that showed up by the hundreds in October of 2009..
… Guy A. Hanley, 28 November, 2018 - 6:42pm login or register to post comments

 
Very cool
My P. dubitabilis are from other sites, but at least I have males and females of both forms thanks to a kind benefactor. One of these years, I'd really like to walk around the tree farm during an emergence just to better learn how to catch females. My understanding is that females for the California species are a little tougher to come by. That's what I've been telling myself! I lucked out with my two females of P. staff as they were basically above ground. The female P. hovorei that John Dittes and I caught required quite the hole and the help of a dog to sniff her out.
… Brady Richards, 28 November, 2018 - 7:00pm login or register to post comments

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