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piceous

Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
No Taxon (Glossary)
No Taxon (P)
No Taxon piceous
Pronunciation
PIE-see-us ('pī-sē-əs)
Explanation of Names
From Latin piceus, from pic-, pix pitch
Identification
piceous adjective - glossy black or glossy brownish-black, i.e., "pitch black" or "pitch brown". Jardine describes this color as "black with a greenish tint; the color of pitch". Gordh (1) says piceous means "pitchy black; black with a reddish tinge". Often applied to beetles. (Pitch is a term for a very viscous liquid made from plant resins or petroleum products.)

Some examples of insects where various structures (esp. beetle elytra or antennae) are called piceous:
Print References
Gordh, entry for piceous, p. 696 (1)
Internet References
Wikipedia--Pitch (resin)
The Free Dictionary--piceous
Merriam-Webster's On-line Dictionary--piceous
Works Cited
1.A Dictionary of Entomology
George Gordh, David H. Headrick. 2003. CABI Publishing.