Other than the chance to work alongside bugguide's most prolific contributor, Tom Murray (4,730 images posted and counting! Check it out.), finding this batch of Boridae larvae was the high point of Saturday. The largest was under bark of a conifer log maybe 16" in diameter. The others were under the bark of a small upright dead conifer that was 8" or less in diameter.

I got excited at the sight of an adult black beetle exposed in our stripping of this tree. I was sure it must be an adult borid. But Tom took a photo, zoomed in on the image, and informed me it was a black pythid. I had never encountered one on a standing tree before. They are called Dead *Log* Beetles for that reason I suppose.

We found none of these larvae under the bark of nearby dead standing conifers of the same size. Mama beetle apparently saw no point in spreading her brood around.

My hope, of course, is to rear at least one of these larvae to adulthood so we have an adult photo for bugguide.