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Genus Calopteron
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 Lycidae (Net-winged Beetles)
Subfamily Lycinae
Tribe Calopterini
Genus Calopteron
Explanation of Names Calopteron Guérin-Méneville 1830 [Laporte de Castelnau 1838 in (1)]
'beautiful wing'
Numbers 3 spp. in our area, ~150 total (1)Identification Large, boldly-marked net-winged beetles with broad, delicate elytra, flared out towards the rear.
Keys to spp. in (3)(pl. XXV) and (4) may not apply to all specimens
Range New World; in our area, eastern (NB-FL to MB-TX) (1)(6)Habitat adults on flowers and vegetation, esp. near water (2)
C. reticulatum found on goldenrods, etc. in late summer, also in woodlands; C. discrepans and terminale are woodland species. Food adults take nectar; larvae prey on small arthropods under bark, or perhaps slime molds, fungi and fermenting plant juices. Life Cycle Eggs laid on bark of dead or injured trees. Larvae feed on insects under bark and pupate there.
Larvae found in rotten logs, under loose bark and, sometimes in soil or leaf litter, usually in groups.
1 and 2. Larvae. 3. Pupa. 4. Mating, female and 2 males
Remarks Like other members of the Lycidae family, they contain a toxic compound, an acetylenic acid. They are rejected by thrushes, wolf spiders, and orb-weaving spiders. T. Eisner, Defensive Chemistry of Lycid Beetles and of Mimetic Cerambycid Beetles that Feed on Them.
Some moths mimic these beetles; see examples below See Also Another lycid, presumably part of the same mimicry complex
A cerambycid that feeds on lycid beetles
Moths that apparently mimic these beetles: Pyromorpha (esp. P. dimidiata), Lycomorpha (esp. L. pholus)
Another possible mimic Neoalbertia constans
And, perhaps
Internet References Chemoecology. Eisner, T et al. Defensive Chemistry of Lycid Beetles and of Mimetic Cerambycid Beetles that Feed on Them Works Cited | 1. | American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL. |  |
| 2. | Beetles of Eastern North America
Arthur V. Evans. 2014. Princeton University Press. | |
| 3. | A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America
Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence. 1961. Row, Peterson, and Company. | |
| 4. | The Beetles of Northeastern North America, Vol. 1 and 2.
Downie, N.M., and R.H. Arnett. 1996. The Sandhill Crane Press, Gainesville, FL. | |
| 5. | The Lycidae of the United States and Canada IV. The tribe Calopterini (Coleoptera)
John Wagener Green. 1952. Transactions of the American Entomological Society, Vol. 78, No. 1 . | |
| 6. | Checklist of beetles (Coleoptera) of Canada and Alaska. Second edition
Bousquet Y., Bouchard P., Davies A.E., Sikes D.S. 2013. ZooKeys 360: 1–402. | |
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