Other Common Names
Pedunculate Ground Beetle
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
First described in 1775 by
Johan Christian Fabricius as
Scarites subterraneusIdentification
Distinctive body form and huge jaws, elytra deeply striated.
As per Downie and Arnett, 1996, The Beetles of Northeastern North America, Volume 1, pp. 104-105, this species can be distinguished from the similar S. quadriceps by the shape of the antennal segments as noted below. The body length quoted by the authors for S. subterraneus is questionable in the opinion of Peter Messer. A better way to distinguish by size appears in the above key.
subterraneus: antennomeres 8-10 each as broad as long (moniliform).
quadriceps: antennomeres 8-10 each longer than broad (filiform).
Downie and Arnett also list a third species in the genus, S. lissopterus, but provide neither the ability to key it out nor a description. They list its distribution as: KS, NM, OK, TX, WI? [latter very unlikely according to Peter Messer].
Range
Includes most of US except Pacific Northwest
(1)
The Bousquet and Larochelle 1993 catalog of the Carabidae report this beetle from: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, ON, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV.
Habitat
Under stones, leaf litter, etc., in soil
Food
Predatory on other insects
Remarks
Historically much taxonomic confusion existed at the specific level.
Guide TBA--PC. (Dillon, other print refs, e.g., Ciegler life cycle.)
ID TBA--PC. (Given taxonomic confusion, consider moving everything, including guide? to genus level. Check Ciegler on this.)
05/07/06--I have added species info from Downie and Arnett. Does this clear some taxonomic confusion or are there still issues w/ this genus? --Ethan Friedman
See
key to Scarites species by Peter Messer that hopefully will resolve confusion.
Print References
Dillon cite:TBA
Ciegler cite:TBA
Papp cite:TBA
Drees cite:TBA
Bousquet, Y. and A. Larochelle. 1993. Catalog of the Geadephaga (Coleoptera: Trachypachidae, Rhysodidae, Carabidae Including Cicindelini) of America North of Mexico. Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada, 167: 1-397.
Internet References
TAMU live adult image (Bastiaan Drees, Texas A&M U.)
Insects of Cedar Creek pinned adult image (John Haarstad et al, U. of Minnesota)
Torrey Pine.org adult image and common name reference [Pedunculate Ground Beetle] (Don McIntire, Torrey Pines State Reserve, California)
Ground Beetles of Canada preserved adult image (Henri Goulet, CBIF)
Systema Entomologiae (Fabricius), p.249 Original description of the species (in Latin)
pinned adult image of S. quadriceps (Kirk Larsen, Luther College, Iowa) - right-click the photo and select "View Image" to see an enlarged version showing the elongated antennomeres 8-10
