5013223 - Litargus - BugGuide.Net

Striations

This beetle's elytra appear to have very fine striations.

… Jim McClarin, 2 February, 2006 - 8:27pm

Good job.

You've added another to the family. I'll move it to genus page.

… Jim McClarin, 1 February, 2006 - 7:54pm

Mycetophagidae: Litargus sp.?

Looks like a mycetophagid, with Litargus having several species with spots on the elytra.

… Donald S. Chandler, 1 February, 2006 - 5:50pm

L. tetraspilotus, most likely

… v belov, 12 September, 2008 - 9:03am

Not a nitidulid?

I would have thunk it a sap beetle. How do you distinguish between the two families, please?

… Eric R. Eaton, 2 February, 2006 - 2:33pm

Mycetophagidae vs. Nitidulidae

Eric: Nitidulids typically have the antennal club very compact (a rounded ball), and at least the apical tergite of the abdomen clearly exposed by the (usually) apically truncate elytra. Those nitidulids with more evenly rounded elytral apices have their own distinctive form, and have quite differently elytral patterns. Mycetophagids have the club more spread out, and the elytra are never truncate (not easy to see in this view). I have never seen a nitidulid with this color pattern, while it is quite typical of Litargus tetraspilotus. However, from the view I wasn't willing to make that identification, especially since there are other patterned species of Litargus, and I don't really know what is in Illinois.

… Donald S. Chandler, 2 February, 2006 - 6:57pm

Ditto

That was my first guess too, Eric.

… Jim McClarin, 2 February, 2006 - 3:44pm

I also thought maybe it was a

I also thought maybe it was a Nitidulid.

… Rob Curtis, 2 February, 2006 - 3:06pm

Thanks very much for the IDs.

Thanks very much for the IDs. This is a new family for me. I wish I had gotten sharper shots of this and the Tritoma, but I often have difficulty with very small insects on plants.

… Rob Curtis, 1 February, 2006 - 6:30pm