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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Adephaga » Ground Beetles (Carabidae) » Harpalinae » Pterostichitae » Woodland Ground Beetles (Pterostichini) » Pterostichus » Subgenus Phonias (Pterostichus Subgenus Phonias) » Pterostichus femoralis
Photo#155837
Pterostichus sp.? - Pterostichus femoralis
Copyright © 2007 tom murray

Pterostichus sp.? - Pterostichus femoralis
Plum Island, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA
November 7, 2007
Size: 7mm
Found under a log on the beach.

Images of this individual: tag all
Pterostichus sp.? - Pterostichus femoralis Pterostichus sp.? - Pterostichus femoralis Pterostichus sp. - Pterostichus femoralis Pterostichus sp. - Pterostichus femoralis Pterostichus sp. - Pterostichus femoralis Pterostichus sp. - Pterostichus femoralis
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Contributed by tom murray on 8 November, 2007 - 4:48pm
Last updated 13 March, 2023 - 10:39am

Moved
Moved from Pterostichus.
… tom murray, 11 November, 2007 - 8:45pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Ground Beetles.
… tom murray, 8 November, 2007 - 8:50pm login or register to post comments

Pterostichus
likely subgenus Phonias based on small (7mm) pterostichine with sharp pronotal hind angles. If true, then for Ma the choices narrow to Pterostichus femoralis, P. patruelis, P. corrusculus in roughly decreasing order of abundance. Last two are characteristically limited to marsh/swamp/bog wetlands although P. patruelis has also been reported under beach debris. Pronotal shape reminds me most of P. femoralis but there is not enough photographic detail to be sure. Dilated protarsi of this male are symmetric thus eliminating superficially similar Loxandrus.
… Peter W. Messer, 8 November, 2007 - 8:05pm login or register to post comments

 
Peter,
what details are needed for species determination? I still have the beetle, and can get a close-up of any part of the beetle if that helps.
… tom murray, 8 November, 2007 - 8:49pm login or register to post comments

 
Absence of stiff setae (bristles) beneath last tarsal segment
of hind leg would clinch P. femoralis. You need magnification to see the tiny two rows of setae located before the end claws. The presence of such setae, however, would dictate the other two species. I will distinguish those two for you based on shape of pronotal hind angles if you get that far. If submitting more photos, get highest magnification of lateral aspect of last metatarsomere and an enlarged orthographic view of pronotum.
… Peter W. Messer, 8 November, 2007 - 9:16pm login or register to post comments

 
More photos added
Did I get what's needed to identify this beetle to species?
… tom murray, 8 November, 2007 - 10:26pm login or register to post comments

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