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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Scarabaeoidea » Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae) » May Beetles and Junebugs (Melolonthinae) » Phobetusini » Phobetus
Photo#766599
Scarab with transparent elytra - Phobetus
Copyright © 2013 Aaron Schusteff

Scarab with transparent elytra - Phobetus
San Joaquin River Gorge, BLM Recreational Area, Fresno County, California, USA
April 20, 2013

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Scarab with transparent elytra - Phobetus Scarab with transparent elytra - Phobetus Scarab with transparent elytra - Phobetus Scarab with transparent elytra - Phobetus Scarab with transparent elytra - Phobetus Scarab with transparent elytra - Phobetus
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Contributed by Aaron Schusteff on 3 May, 2013 - 10:32pm

Moved
Moved from Scarab Beetles.
… v belov, 3 May, 2013 - 10:48pm login or register to post comments

 
Yes, Phobetus needs some work
Yes, Phobetus needs some work! The coarse punctures and long setae on the anterior portion of the pronotum puts this beetle squarely in the comatus species group. The coloration fits Casey's centralis described just down the road in Tulare County, a name that is currently considered a synonym of Phobetus comatus LeConte.
… Art Evans, 21 January, 2015 - 10:13pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks for sharing your insights, Art
BTW, you mention the coloration fits Casey's centralis. Reiterating a question I raised under the 1st image in this series...does that mean it looks to you like the elytra are "fully cured" and exhibit their mature color here? They seemed interestingly semi-translucent to me.
… Aaron Schusteff, 21 January, 2015 - 10:57pm login or register to post comments

 
Hey Aaron! The elytra of this
Hey Aaron! The elytra of this and some of the other species of Phobetus, such as P. saylori, are typically translucent.
… Art Evans, 22 January, 2015 - 6:24am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks for the clarification, Art
Translucent elytra are interesting...and beautiful. Previously, I'd only been of aware of them in tortoise beetles.

With so many other orders having a preponderance of hyaline wings...makes me wonder whether there were more (proto-)beetles with semi-translucent (proto-)elytra/forewings in the (perhaps distant) past? (Hard to know without a good time-machine...but fun to think about :-)
… Aaron Schusteff, 22 January, 2015 - 12:54pm login or register to post comments

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