Eleodes osculans
Eleodes osculans, the wooly darkling beetle or woolly ground beetle, is a common insect in coastal southern and central California in wooded areas or chaparral. As a stink beetle of genus Eleodes, its easily observed defensive posture is to raise its hind end and secrete an unpleasant odor. E. osculans has a length of 12-16 mm and is the only known darkling beetle species with reddish-brown hair covering most of its black exoskeleton.[1][2] It is similar to Eleodes nigropilosa and Eleodes littoralis, which have darker hair.[2]
| Wooly darkling beetle | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Tenebrionidae |
| Genus: | Eleodes |
| Species: | E. osculans |
| Binomial name | |
| Eleodes osculans LeConte, 1851 | |
References
- Will, Kip; Gross, Joyce; Rubinoff, Daniel; Powell, Jerry A. (2020). Field Guide to California Insects. Oakland, California: University of California Press. p. 244. ISBN 9780520288744.
- "Species Eleodes osculans - Wooly Darkling Beetle". BugGuide. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
Further reading
- Arnett, R.H., jr.; Thomas, M.C.; Skelley, P.E.; Frank, J.H. (eds.) 2002: American beetles. Volume 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, Florida. limited preview
External links
Media related to Eleodes osculans at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Eleodes osculans at Wikispecies
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