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Photo#487128
Blauta - Dipropus asper - male

Blauta - Dipropus asper - Male
Manasota Key, Charlotte County, Florida, USA
May 23, 2005
Size: 5.5 mm

Images of this individual: tag all
Blauta - Dipropus asper - male Blauta - Dipropus asper - male

Dipropus asper
Yeah! I have found this species in the FSCA as a Dipropus! That makes me feel sooooo much better, since I could SWEAR both this specimen AND the MCZ type image has two membranous tarsaal pads. At somepoint, someone mustve moved it from Anchastus to Dipropus.

 
Cool!

Moved
Moved from Dipropus.

There is a reason I have never seen a Dipropus like this--because it is an Anchastus. A tricky one, indeed, false impression of two membranous tarsal pads (we both fell for it). I just ID'd some A. asper from FL and thought it looked familiar--went back and double-checked with this guy (or the one in the series I retained). I thought it was a bit odd for Dipropus at the time. And, a new species for BG!

 
Nice!
Thanks Blaine. I'll have to take another look when I get a chance.

Moved
Moved from Blauta falli.

This is a Dipropus sp., but one unlike I have seen before...smaller and more stout. THere is no modern key to the genus and not all species are illustrated on the MCZ site. I've tried to compare material from FSCA in the past but nothing easy jumps out to separate the species. I've collected a few species in the southeast. I hope someone from Casari's group is working on them :-)

 
oh
and keep one of the pair; maybe we can get an ID at some point.

 
Ah!
So i was in the wrong genus. Thks Blaine.

Moved
Moved from Blauta.

Blauta
Should be fairly esy to compare to B. cribaria already on BG. The other species, B. falli, is darker (almost black) and has more prominent tarsal pads. Your specimen looks dark, but that can often be misleading in images (even good ones :). Yours may very well be B. falli. You can also check your specimen with the MCZ type of B. cribraria (see my link on the BG image of cribraria).

 
B. falli
Based on your description of darkly colored and prominent tarsal pads, I think this is likely B. falli. Interestingly, I have a second specimen collected at the same time, but is noticeably lighter in color. Perhaps it is B. cribaria, or just a lighter-colored B. falli.