Eleodes obscura

Eleodes obscura
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Tenebrionidae
Genus: Eleodes
Species:
E. obscura
Binomial name
Eleodes obscura
(Say, 1824)

Eleodes obscura, commonly known as the obscure darkling beetle, is a species of darkling beetle in the genus Eleodes of western North America. It ranges from south-central British Columbia, eastern Washington and Oregon, south to northern Mexico and east to Nebraska, Kansas and Texas.[1][2]

Description

Eleodes obscura is dull, black, 23โ€“31 mm (0.9โ€“1.2 in) long with grooved elytra. Each front femur bears an anterior tooth near the tibia. The pronotum lacks obvious forward projections from the anterior corners.[2]

The diet of Eleodes obscura includes dead plant material, animal remains, roots, and seeds.[3]

References

  1. ^ Cannings, Robert A; Scudder, G G E (2009). "Eleodes obscurus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): confirmation of a Canadian population and possible northward expansion from Washington State into British Columbia in the Okanagan Valley". Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia. 106: 81โ€“82. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  2. ^ a b Peterson, Merrill A. (2018-08-31). Pacific Northwest Insects (First ed.). [Seattle, WA]: Seattle Audubon Society. ISBN 9780914516187. OCLC 1031915474.
  3. ^ Wallwork, John (1982). Desert Soil Fauna. Praeger. ISBN 0-03-055306-7.