Click beetle - Athous ornatipennis

Moved

… v belov, 31 March, 2012 - 8:05pm

Athous ornatipennis (LeConte)

A good find from any state! Has it been recorded from GA Blaine?

MCZ has photos of the type specimen under the name Limonius ornatipennis.

… Hume Douglas, 31 March, 2012 - 8:02pm

It is not officially recorded from GA

and because I do not have a voucher on this, it will unfortunately remain undocumented (I am not using BugGuide records unless they are accompanied by a voucher specimen in a collection, mine or otherwise)...

… Blaine Mathison, 31 March, 2012 - 8:08pm

thanks, Hume, Carmen, Blaine -- great addition!

****

… v belov, 31 March, 2012 - 8:06pm

I am totally stumped...

I will definately be digging around some more. The base of the pronotum looks like an Athous, but the frontal area, vesiture and antennae don't look right. It could be a Dalopius or Agriotella but the pronotal shape doesnt look quite right. It looks like bits and pieces of several things.

Fattig (1951) recorded Agriotella bigemmina from GA. I currently have it listed as a 'Questionable Record' based on the current known distribution of the species, but if it turns out to be this, I will have to reconsider my assessment of that genus in GA :)

So, all this rambling in a nutshell: sit tight and I will snoop around. I will forward the image to colleagues too. Wow, I really am stumped!

… Blaine Mathison, 31 March, 2012 - 5:46pm

"bits and pieces of several things"

verbatim my feeling about this beast! well put.
glad to see that your gestalt recognition algorithm lead you thru the very same steps as did mine...
Carmen dear, get the bloody collecting permit!!!

… v belov, 31 March, 2012 - 6:39pm

another neat bug; a puzzler!

boy do i wish you save your clickers for Blaine... he is working on se.US faunal treatment
i see some with kinda similar pattern here and there among various tribes of the Elaterinae, but i'm not even sure it's in that subfamily at all!

… v belov, 31 March, 2012 - 1:50pm

I've corresponded with him...

... about collecting voucher specimens. Unfortunately for this purpose, most of the places I go to find insects are parks or other protected areas. Even the park where I work prohibits collecting, and I'm not sure exactly how (or if it's even possible) to obtain an exception. Certainly, if I come across anything interesting in my yard or on my family's property, I'll gladly save them for him.

… Carmen Champagne, 31 March, 2012 - 2:40pm