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Photo#939363
Harpalus katiae - female

Harpalus katiae - Female
Victoria, Victoria County, Texas, USA
May 29, 2014
Size: 25 mm

Moved

Harpalus katiae
Harpalus katiae based on my microscopic examination of this female specimen which is deposited in the P.W.Messer collection as a photo-voucher. Thanks Iustin.

Separated from nearly identical H. caliginosus in TX by an impunctate head. In the future to show the differences, I recommend one dorsal habitus, optional ventral habitus, and one close-up that captures the posterior head area.

P.S. Iustin, this is last specimen processed from your wet batch received 6/27/2014. Let me know if something is missing or questionable.

 
Thank you Peter!
for this trip in entomological knowledge. Definitely interesting. I hope you not boring with so many specimens of Harpalus katie. But was collected with purpose to be send for a study.
(Anyway I am not sure if I can always ID "like the same species" especially in Carabidae field. Many look to be identically. Or worst, for an amateur, some don't seem to be carabid :) )
For Harpalus katie (only now I know the name) I thought to be all the same species but how they occurred in mass after a very heavy rain I thought it will be interesting a study. Only some variation of color made me thinking to possibility to be some different. Few/rare appear obviously reddish (like specimen from above photo), all others appear like black, (Some or sometimes with some like few dark red reflections on end elytra or on pronotum edge). At least so I saw them.
This serie was collected in four different points of the city. In some part of city it occurred like a terrestrial swarm invading. But I think they was just looking for a dry spots. In next few days many was like attracted to light. But I suppose that has happened more or just because they was disturbed by rain. (This is just an hypothesis.) Only one was collected from a bush, hiding between leaves about two foot distance from ground. This appear to be very unusual for this (hypothesis), how far I was able to observe. I pay attention to this but only one I found so. And I saw tens of this or maybe rather hundred, time of few days after the mentioned heavy rain.
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Seems to be all the carabids from 6/27/2014 batch except one. This , which if it not was in the pack I don't know where it can be, but I think it can be safely ID to be Harpalus katie.
Questionable? It can be many questions but not strictly for this batch. :)
For example some indications / keys to can delimit/ID Harpalus to genus or subgenus level, will be very useful on info page of genus Harpalus.

 
One needs motivation first, experience second
to eventually become comfortably familiar with ground beetle taxonomy. Satisfying success can and does occur through photography alone. However, only with serious stereomicroscopic study of curated/mounted specimens can one expect to reach the stars (true scientific knowledge over just trophy acquisition).

As a student of carabidology, I learn the geographic and morphological variations that are possible from a large series of the same species. I keep an eye open for the largest/smallest male, largest/smallest female, the seasonal timing of the recently-emerged pale tenerals, and the variations of structure and color. Some individuals are reserved for genitalia dissection/study. Some of the "average" appearing individuals may be used for trading with other serious students. If a photo-voucher is traded to a new location, I would post that new information on the original BugGuide page.

Your request for adding diagnostic information to genus pages is a good one. Unfortunately experts don't usually have the spare time to duplicate such information that is currently available in published works, many of them are accessible to the lay reader.

I had skipped 939361, but now posted.

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