Explanation of Names
Cysteodemus armatus LeConte 1851
Identification
white to yellow-brown incrustation:
Range
Colorado and Mojave Deserts
(1)Season
Feb-Jun (earlier in Colorado Desert than in n. Mojave Desert)
(1)Food
Recorded food plants of adults: most commonly
Larrea tridentata, but also a number of other plants (
Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus, Chaenactis, Geraea canescens, Palafoxia arida, Gilia, Loeseliastrum matthewsii, Tiquilia). While creosote leaves are dependable even in the driest of years, other plants are likely preferred when available.
(1)Life Cycle
Larvae in subterranean nests of solitary bees
(2)See Also
C. wizlizeni: dorsum shining, deep metallic blue/green/violet, lacking incrustation. Chihuahuan Desert.
Print References
LeConte, J.L. (1851). Descriptions of new species of Coleoptera, from California. Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York, 5: 125–184. (Brief original description, in Latin, on
pg. 158)
La Rivers, Ira (1938). Notes on
Cysteodemus in southern Nevada. Pan-Pacific Entomologist, 14(3):124-128. (
Full Text)
Leppla N.C. (1976) Habits of the hypertrophic blister beetle,
Cysteodemus armatus. The Southwestern Naturalist 21: 49-54 (
Full Text)
Pinto, J.D. (1977). Sexual Behavior in the Blister Beetle Genus Cysteodemus (Coleoptera: Meloidae). The Canadian Entomologist, 109(3): 389-396.
Pinto, J.D. (1984). A taxonomic review of
Cysteodemus LeConte,
Phodaga LeConte and
Pleuropasta Wellman (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Eupomphina) with a new generic synonymy. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 86: 127-143. (
Full Text)
