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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Tenebrionoidea » Darkling Beetles (Tenebrionidae) » Pimeliinae » Cryptoglossini » Asbolus » Asbolus verrucosus

Species Asbolus verrucosus

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Size · Range · Habitat · Life Cycle · Remarks · Works Cited
Asbolus verrucosus curtsying darkling beetle - Asbolus verrucosus Darkling Beetle - Asbolus verrucosus Desert Ironclad Beetle - Asbolus verrucosus Desert Ironclad? - Asbolus verrucosus Desert Ironclad Beetle - Asbolus verrucosus Asbolus verrucosus Death Feigning Beetle - Asbolus verrucosus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)
Superfamily Tenebrionoidea
Family Tenebrionidae (Darkling Beetles)
Subfamily Pimeliinae
Tribe Cryptoglossini
Genus Asbolus
Species verrucosus (Asbolus verrucosus)
Other Common Names
Desert Ironclad Beetle(1), Blue Death-Feigning Beetle
Explanation of Names
Asbolus verrucosus LeConte 1851
verrucosus 'warty'
Size
18―21 mm(1)
Range
sw US (s.CA to UT―NM) & nw Mexico ―map(2)(3)
Habitat
coarse-grained sandy soils of the Colorado and Mohave Deserts(1)
Life Cycle
When startled, the beetle will fall over and feign death with legs up in the air, and become extremely rigid
Remarks
Increasingly popular in pet trade
Works Cited
1.Field Guide to Beetles of California
Arthur V. Evans and James N. Hogue. 2006. University of California Press.
2.Catalogue of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of North America
Yves Bousquet, Donald B. Thomas, Patrice Bouchard, Aaron D. Smith, Rolf L. Aalbu, M. Andrew Johnston, Warren E. Steiner Jr. 2018. ZooKeys 728: 1-455.
3.Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
Contributed by Hartmut Wisch on 5 December, 2006 - 7:13pm
Additional contributions by Mike Quinn, v belov, metrioptera
Last updated 2 August, 2023 - 4:40pm

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