| Eleodes gigantea | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Tenebrionidae |
| Genus: | Eleodes |
| Species: | E. gigantea |
| Binomial name | |
| Eleodes gigantea Mannerheim, 1843 | |
Eleodes gigantea is a species of desert stink beetle or darkling beetle in the family Tenebrionidae. They can be found from San Francisco, California down to Tijuana, Mexico, however, they are more typically located in the lower half of California from Santa Cruz to San Diego.
They typically have a smooth black elytron and like other species of Eleodes, when frightened they secrete benzoquinone and upturn their bodies to spray it. The secretion is orange in color and has a strong odor that causes the eyes to water.
Eleodes gigantea meridionalis have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits and some of the earliest reports of the species date back to 1918. They are most active during sundown.
References
- Braun, Jenna; Westphal, Michael; Lortie, Christopher J. (September 2021). "The shrub Ephedra californica facilitates arthropod communities along a regional desert climatic gradient". Ecosphere. 12 (9): e03760. doi:10.1002/ecs2.3760.
- "Eleodes gigantea". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- "Eleodes gigantea species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- Bousquet, Yves; Thomas, Donald B.; Bouchard, Patrice; Smith, Aaron D.; et al. (2018). "Catalogue of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of North America". ZooKeys. 728: 1–455. doi:10.3897/zookeys.728.20602. PMC 5799738. PMID 29416389.
- ^ Blaisdell, FE (1918). "Studies in the tenebrionid tribe Eleodiini. No. 4 (Coleop.)" (PDF). Entomological News. 29: 380–387. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- Holliday, Alison E.; Walker, Faye M.; Brodie, Edmund D.; Formica, Vincent A. (2009-11-01). "Differences in Defensive Volatiles of the Forked Fungus Beetle, Bolitotherus cornutus, Living on Two Species of Fungus". Journal of Chemical Ecology. 35 (11): 1302–1308. doi:10.1007/s10886-009-9712-7. PMID 19936835.
- ^ Emerton, J. H. (1921). "Notes on Canadian and Arctic spiders". Psyche: 147–148. doi:10.1155/1921/36012.
- "Invertebrate Collections". La Brea Tar Pits & Museum.
Further reading
- Johnston, M. A. (2016). "Redefinition of the Eleodes Eschscholtz subgenera Tricheleodes Blaisdell and Pseudeleodes Blaisdell". Annales Zoologici. 66 (4): 665–679. doi:10.3161/00034541ANZ2016.66.4.018. S2CID 90125600.
External links
Media related to Eleodes gigantea at Wikimedia Commons
| Taxon identifiers | |
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| Eleodes gigantea | |
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