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Species Pyropyga nigricans

Black Beetle with red shoulders - Pyropyga nigricans

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

No Taxon (Series Elateriformia)

Superfamily Elateroidea

Family Lampyridae (Fireflies)

Subfamily Lampyrinae

Tribe Lucidotini

Genus Pyropyga

Species nigricans (Pyropyga nigricans)

Explanation of Names

Pyropyga nigricans (Say 1823)

nigricans = 'blackish'

Size

4.2-8.5 mm(1)

Identification

dark pronotal border varies to narrow and paler or indistinct, especially in specimens from Arizona. Complete elimination of the dark border is rare, but has been noted in a series from Corpus Christi, Texas. (1)

Range

most of NA (transcontinental) except se. US - Map (1)(2)(3)

Life Cycle

Neither sex is luminous

Remarks

rather uncommon east of the Mississippi River, very abundant from the Rocky Mts to the Pacific(1)

See Also

Pyropyga modesta Green

Body black, pronotum pale with median vitta.

In an occasional specimen from Arizona the pronotal borders are narrowly infuscate, never deep black as in P. nigricans. In one example, from Devils River, Texas, the pronotal vitta is partially obliterated. (1)

Range: mostly AZ, but also NM-TX-MO-OK / n. Mex. (1)

Works Cited

1.	Revision of the species of Pyropyga (Lampyridae) Green J.W. 1961. Col. Bull. 15: 65-74.

2.	Bousquet Y., ed. (1991) Checklist of the beetles of Canada and Alaska

3.	Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

Contributed by tom murray on 10 January, 2009 - 10:09pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Mike Quinn, v belov
Last updated 19 January, 2024 - 1:59pm

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