Identification
Head and pronotum relatively smooth, without clearly visible microreticulation at 32X magnification.
Dorsal surface of elytra are coarsely punctate (not reticulate as in M. cancellata and vittata).
Elytra are rounded from top to side; the other two species have a well-defined edge.
Antennae generally shorter (as in M. vittata) than in M. cancellata.
(based on Selander, 1965; see Reference below)
Range
Chihuahuan Desert from SE Arizona and SW New Mexico, south into Mexico (Chihuahua, to southwestern Coahuila, and southern Durango).
Recorded altitudinal range: 4000 - 5000 ft. in USA; higher in Mexico, to 8500 ft near El Salto, Durango.
Range information based on Selander (1965; see reference below)
Season
July - September, with highest number recorded for August.
Food
Adults of this species have been reported feeding on Boerhavia erecta (Nyctaginaceae) in Chihuahua (at least two Boerhavia spp. grow in southern AZ); on Kallstroemia grandiflora (Zygophyllaceae) near Rodeo, NM; other prostrate herbaceous plants. (see Selander, 1965; reference below)
Print References
Selander, R.B. 1965. A taxonomic revision of the genus Megetra (Coleoptera: Meloidae) with ecological and behavioral notes. The Canadian Entomologist, vol. 97, no. 6, pp. 561-580.
Internet References
Specimen from Cochise County, AZ, at
Meloidae.comContributed by
Hartmut Wisch on 10 September, 2008 - 1:48pm
Last updated 14 September, 2008 - 7:10pm
