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Genus Hololepta - Clown Beetles

Hister beetle - Hololepta aequalis beetle - Hololepta Histerid - Hololepta lucida Histerid - Hololepta vernicis Hololepta sp.? - Hololepta Hololepta lucida Histerid - Hololepta aequalis Hister Beetle, 	Hololepta yucateca, in rotting Saguaro Cactus - Hololepta yucateca
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
Superfamily Hydrophiloidea (Water Scavenger and Clown Beetles)
Family Histeridae (Clown Beetles)
Genus Hololepta (Clown Beetles)
Numbers
Nearctica.com lists 15 species for North America.
Size
7-10 mm, Eastern species (1), Hololepta yucateca to 20 mm
Identification
Very flattened, oblong. Long mandibles. Head visible from above--not covered by pronotum (1):
Range
Holarctic, apparently. Includes much of North America.
Habitat
Deciduous forests, found beneath bark of recently killed hardwoods.
Food
Adults and larvae eat other insects.
Print References
Dillon, p. 222, plate XXII, illustrates H. fossularis (=aequalis), quadridentata. (1)
White, p. 133, fig. 50 (2)
Arnett, p. 161, fig. 394 (3)
Arnett and Jacques #94 (4)
Salsbury, p. 177--H. aequalis (5)
Brimley, p. 150, lists H. aequalis and H. lucida from North Carolina (6)
Internet References
North Carolina State University lists H. aequalis (18 specimens) and lucida (9 specimens) for that state.
Works Cited
1.A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America
By Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence
2.Peterson Field Guides: Beetles
By Richard E. White
3.How to Know the Beetles
By Ross H. Arnett, N. M. Downie, H. E. Jaques
4.Simon & Schuster's Guide to Insects
By Dr. Ross H. Arnett, Dr. Richard L. Jacques
5.Insects in Kansas
By Glenn A. Salsbury and Stephan C. White
6.Insects of North Carolina
By C.S. Brimley