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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Staphyliniformia » Staphylinoidea » Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae) » Xantholininae » Xantholinini » Oxybleptes » Oxybleptes davisi
Photo#355039
Oxybleptes davisi - female
Copyright © 2009 Cotinis

Oxybleptes davisi - Female
Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, North Carolina, USA
October 13, 2008
Size: 4-6 mm
There were just swarms of these in the air and they seemed to be landing on pine logs in this xeric Longleaf Pine forest. (I thought they were gnats at first--I even brought some into my car by accident--they had landed on my camera bag.) Size estimated at 4-6 mm. See comments on identification.
Same location as these, there were bunches all over the bark of fallen pines, and they moved quickly:
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Contributed by Cotinis on 27 November, 2009 - 3:40pm
Last updated 28 November, 2009 - 5:27am

Moved/thanks
Moved from Rove Beetles.
Thanks very much, Adam. I would have posted this sooner if I had known it was new! I should go to Carolina Beach State Park more often--every time I take photos there, I get something new to the guide, or at least very rare.
… Cotinis, 27 November, 2009 - 4:37pm login or register to post comments

Very interesting!
This is the genus Oxybleptes, in the tribe Xantholinini.
This individual seems to be a female, but you have photographed a large swarm...presumably with both sexes. Since all the individuals are quite bicolored, this is Oxybleptes davisi. Almost nothing is known about the biology of this very odd genus (except that they swarm) and that sexes are strongly dimorphic. Thank you for including habitat data! If you find anymore swarms, additional photos/notes would be very much appreciated.

What a wonderful way to end the week off,
Adam
… Adam Brunke, 27 November, 2009 - 4:10pm login or register to post comments

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