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Photo#173284
Elacatis sp. - Elacatis umbrosus - female

Elacatis sp. - Elacatis umbrosus - Female
Sandia Mnts, Bernalillo County, New Mexico, USA
March 9, 2008
Size: 4.0 mm
This is a "false tiger beetle"; used to be a family Othniidae but now a subfamily Salpingidae/Othniinae/Elacatis. Comparing with the pics in the Harvard types which has three of the five NA species, this looks most like E. lugubris (lugubris isn't yet reported from NM). I don't have any species descriptions.

Images of this individual: tag all
Elacatis sp. - Elacatis umbrosus - female Elacatis sp. - Elacatis umbrosus - female

Moved

Elacatis umbrosus
This is a specimen of Elacatis umbrosus (LeConte). In North America, two names have historically been associated with the Elacatis associated with dead conifers: E. umbrosus (LeConte) and E. lugubris (Horn). Through analysis of many hundreds of specimens, I've concluded that these two are synonyms, with E. umbrosus having priority. In fact, both species were originally established on single specimens; the holotype of E. umbrosus is/was teneral, and that of E. lugubris has less distinctly marked elytra than usual. Anyway, there is only a single species (with some definite variation) associated with pines, etc. in North America: E. umbrosus. This is unpublished info...so far! (stay tuned....)

Moved
Moved from Elacatis.

Moved

I would never have guessed
:-)

 
Not very tiger beetle-like
I never thought they looked much like tigers, but I'd never place them without the 554 tarsi as a clue.

 
Not very tiger beetle-like when dead
That´s true! A little more so when you observe them alive. In Indonesia, I encountered at least two species of them, swiflty running on dead logs. Their posture and speed suggest a predacious way of life (at least as adults), though I never saw any of them feeding. Their big eyes suggest the same.

 
Berlese
Unlucky me, this one was from Berlese funnelling detritus collected from under old yucca last week. I didn't get to see it in action. I think I would still mistake it for a clerid like Phyllo*baenus before I would think tiger.

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