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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Tenebrionoidea » False Darkling Beetles (Melandryidae) » Melandryinae » Melandryini » Prothalpia » Prothalpia holmbergi
Photo#220387
beetle - Prothalpia holmbergi
Copyright © 2008 Joyce Gross

beetle - Prothalpia holmbergi
Humboldt County, California, USA
June 10, 2008
Size: 5mm
I found this inside my car so I'm not sure where it's from exactly, but has to be from either Humboldt or Del Norte counties.

Images of this individual: tag all
beetle - Prothalpia holmbergi beetle - Prothalpia holmbergi
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Contributed by Joyce Gross on 1 September, 2008 - 12:53am
Last updated 2 September, 2008 - 7:49pm

Moved
Moved from Beetles.
… Joyce Gross, 2 September, 2008 - 7:49pm login or register to post comments

found it
It's Prothalpia holmbergi. Essig has 9 specimens, 6 from the Bay Area, one from Mendocino county (north of the Bay Area), one from Oregon, and one from Washington. The pattern is somewhat variable but there were no other California melandryids with a pattern like this one. General shape and hairiness match too.

Also it turns out that the SBMNH beetle database does have a specimen of this species imaged here. I missed it when I looked the first time. Many of the specimens they list are from Humboldt County.
… Joyce Gross, 2 September, 2008 - 7:47pm login or register to post comments

 
Bingo!
You're very good at tracking these down, Joyce.
… Jim McClarin, 2 September, 2008 - 8:38pm login or register to post comments

This has to be Melandryidae.
Habitus and large palpomeres are main indications to me.
… Jim McClarin, 1 September, 2008 - 7:25pm login or register to post comments

 
that's what I was thinking
There are several species with photos at the SBMNH but none that look like this. I guess I should check the Essig collection. I wasn't 100% sure about the family though ...
… Joyce Gross, 1 September, 2008 - 7:37pm login or register to post comments

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