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Photo#39809
red and black beetle - Trichodes simulator

red and black beetle - Trichodes simulator
Calf Creek Falls trail, Escalante, Garfield County, Utah, USA
September 17, 2005
This one flew away before I got any other photos.

Moved
Moved from Trichodes.

Trichodes simulator?
Compare type specimen from Arizona.

 
Trichodes simulator
That looks right Boris. MCZ has two other Trichodes that are similar but not right. Do you think there might be other Trichodes not at MCZ my clerid could be, or do you think it's safe to assume I've got Trichodes simulator?

 
Safe or not?
Good question - I do not really know more about it as you do.
Let´s try a bit logics, based on the Nearctica species list:

Trichodes simulator Horn 1880

The species name suggests, that Horn choose it to say his new species is extremely close to another one, described earlier - and this has to be Trichodes apivorus Germar 1824.

From the species described afterwards, we can exclude Trichodes peninsularis Horn 1894, and probably also Trichodes bicinctus Green 1917 (because its name suggests it having but two fasciae).

Remaining Trichodes oregonensis Barr 1952 and Trichodes oresterus Wolcott 1910, about which we are ignorant at this stage . . .

Because the genus Trichodes is not one of those "genitalia-groups", insofar I know, and we have not to be 100% certain in bugguide, I think this is good enough a probability to create a species page for your beetle.

 
thanks for thinking this through Boris
I always forget to think about what the names actually mean. Your logic sounds good to me, so I've moved this to a species page.

Superb photo, Joyce.
You give me something to aspire to.

Trichodes sp. (Cleridae)
An intimate enemy of solitary bees. Like them, fond of flowers as an adult, but only a passive pollinator. ID to the species level is not easy, the red and black pattern being variable inside a same species.

 
Trichodes sp.
Thanks!

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