Agonum fidele Casey - Agonum fidele

Posted image sets of this kind are so very instructive!

I imagine Claude needed huge blocks of time to present this wonderful series in its final form for us on BugGuide, not to mention his thorough photographic treatment of several other species in the same way.

Claude's didactic remarks are few. Experienced carabid workers will certainly recognize in these clear images many of the subtle anatomic features that help distinguish Agonum fidele from the few species placed juxtapositionally within Lindroth's key - not an easy identification task for beginners. For example, a combination of pronotum characters visible in these images that support A. fidele are as follows: Pronotum not evenly circular, widest in anterior half; minute jag is suggested at hind angle (mentioned by Claude); posterior fovea (depression) often with a raised flat tubercle (convexity); lateral side not broadly explanate; near basal edge without with a short sulcus (groove) extending mediad from posterior fovea. The morphology of the dissected aedeagus is indeed diagnostic for this subgroup of Agonum. Thank you Claude!

… Peter W. Messer, 5 January, 2013 - 9:43am

seconded

Claude does admirable, meticulous job enriching the guide with images of greatest diagnostic value.
actually, a collection of such images covering a local fauna would constitute a great identification manual in itself, with minimum or even no text...
i wonder if Claude has any plans to put together such a resource for, say, Quebec or some other area in that vast region.

… v belov, 7 January, 2013 - 5:58pm

Well, thank you very much guys!

I DO enjoy producing images for Bugguide. It gives me a platform to express what I learn as I go along in this fantastic adventure of collecting beetles and this is satisfying to me.

Thank you Peter for the additionnal comments for this species. From the beginning of my posts, I sometime wonder if it is necessary to add more and more information detailing which features to look for in determining the species I am currently working on. The answer is YES without a doubt; but I tend to forget that. I, myself, use Bugguide a lot when working the groups I am not familiar with. I must say that it is the most complete set of images that I've seen. I'd like it with even more details but it is already great!

And yes I do dream about making a manual of some of my favorite groups but this endaviour is out of my reach for now. And it would have to be quite complete (this probably is inherent to my collector's mind!). I sincerely do not see this in a near future as my understanding of the groups that I like is still quite partial.

Meanwhile I continue posting! Let's wish us all a great year!

… Claude Tessier, 8 January, 2013 - 12:24pm