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Photo#184322
Flat Bark Beetle Larva - Cucujus puniceus

Flat Bark Beetle Larva - Cucujus puniceus
5 mi. south of Port Angeles, Clallam County, Washington, USA
May 10, 2008
Size: ~2 cm
I found this beetle larva along with the ones earlier submitted:

This larva is similar, but has some clear morphological differences. The "pinchers" are smaller and held at near right angle to the body. The body is flatter, and the head shape is different.

Images of this individual: tag all
Flat Bark Beetle Larva - Cucujus puniceus Flat Bark Beetle Larva - Cucujus puniceus Flat Bark Beetle Larva - Cucujus puniceus

Moved

Cucujus puniceus
Distribution and ratios of A8/A9

 
Decode
Can you point me to a source decoding "Distribution and ratios of A8/A9"?

 
For sure!
https://bioone.org/journals/florida-entomologist/volume-94/issue-2/024.094.0204/Clarification-of-the-Taxonomic-Status-of-Cucujus-clavipes-with-Descriptions/10.1653/024.094.0204.full

I haven't gone through and measured every larva on bugguide yet, but all the ones I have match the identifying characters given in this source.

https://bugguide.net/node/view/2147302 also helps understanding behind elevating this former subspecies to species.

Moved
Moved from Cucujus.

Freeze tolerance in Cucujus
There's a fascinating interview with Todd Sformo on Quirks & Quarks, about the ability of some of these beetle larvae to withstand ice crystals in their tissues, and of others to produce enough antifreeze to prevent freezing even at very low temperatures.

http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/09-10/qq-2010-02-06.html#4

Moved
Moved from Beetles.

Cucujus
det. Artem Zaitsev

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