Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Apiomerus californicus Berniker & Szerlip, 2011
Members of this species are usually assigned to Apiomerus crassipes by older sources.
Described in 1980 by Sigurd Leopold Szerlip in his PhD dissertation
(1), which has not been officially published according to the standards of the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature. Later officially described in a revision of the crassipes group
(2). See
this forum topic for details.
Explanation of Names
"Named for its distribution throughout California and the Baja California peninsula"
(2).
Size
Male: 14.2-15.2 mm. Female: 15.3-16.6 mm.
Identification
Generally black with the corium reddish near the costal margin and fading caudad or uniformly bright red. Posterior pronotal margin and lateral connexival margin usually pale. Easily distinguished from A. cazieri and A. flaviventris in southern California by color pattern. The more similarly colored A. crassipes and A. montanus are not sympatric with A. californicus.
Range
California and Baja California, Mexico. An indeterminate locality in Oregon is mentioned though the northern extent of the range remains to be seen
(2).
Habitat
Seems to occur in coastal regions and coastal mountain ranges. Collected from sea level up to 1997 meters
(2).
Remarks
This species exhibits a lower degree of polychromatism than other species of Apiomerus found in the United States.
