Species Agathidium pulchrum

Agathidium pulchrum LeConte 1853

2.3‒2.7 mm

"distinguished by the prominent, irregular maculations on the elytra (figs. 44, 45, 51), which distinguish the species from all others except A. maculosum and A. amae. From A. maculosum it differs by having a distinctive sutural elytral stria (fig. 51) and by having the anterior clypeal margin very strongly excavated (figs. 22, 51). Also, the male left mandibular horn, when fully formed, is more strongly curved (figs. 21, 22)... Also, A. pulchrum generally has a greater extent of dorsal brown maculation (fig. 51) than does A. amae (fig. 50). Head dark brown to piceous with medial red spot, clypeus red; pronotum yellow with large medial dark red-brown macula; elytra yellow with dark red-brown to piceous coloration around margins, including sutural margin, and in sinuate, oblique medial line often dividing yellow into anterior and posterior maculae; thoracic sterna piceous, abdominal sterna red; basal antennomeres red, basal two antennomeres of club dark brown, apical antennomere yellow; palpi and legs yellow."(1)

AK‒CO‒CA east to NH‒WV(1)

Mainly forests, from moss duff, and riparian areas, from sea level to 7000 ft. Host records: Acryria nutans, Comatricha sp., Lenzites betulina, Polyporus versicolor, Stemonitis sp., Stereum sp., Trichea decipiens, Tubifera ferruginea, and slime mold.

year-round

Illustration of A. maculosum, pulchrum, and amae by C.Wood after (1):

Hatch(2) illustrates a wide variation in the maculation patterns of pulchrum, however, note that his #24 (not shown) is similar to A. amae which was later described from WA and CA(1):