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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Jun 24, 2012 23:04:37 GMT -8
You think you are being careful about where you step around the sheet, but then you feel something crunch under your boot.  This guy was hidden deep under the grass just beyond the edge of my ground sheet at my mv setup. I felt something crunch under my boot and I dug under the grass to find him (or her, whichever the case may be) If my research is correct, this is Phileurus truncatus. I didn't know we had them around here before tonight. Attachments:
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Post by mantisboy on Jun 25, 2012 9:25:39 GMT -8
I agree, it probably is Phileurus truncatus. Some advice from me, I just normally go barefoot at my traps, but unless you can recognize insects like blister beetles and other harmful insects, socks might be better.
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Post by Borja Gómez on Jun 28, 2012 8:06:06 GMT -8
Hello
Excuse me the "off topic" and he ignorance, but are the "blister beetles", meloidae, really so harmful? I handled, many time meloidae of my country, Spain, like Meloe sp, Mylabris sp. and even Lytta vesicatoria which is supposed to have good concentration of cantharidine, and never have some kind of skin reaction. Sometimes I even touched the secretions that they produce when alarmed, but nothing... Perhaps is that I touched them with my fingers where the skin is thicker, or maybe it's just that the specimens in my country are less harmful...
Regards
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Jun 28, 2012 8:23:06 GMT -8
I am sure that blister beetles have the potential to be quite painful. I have never experienced any harm from them though. The one species that I have found here didn't cause me any discomfort when I found it. When I found out what it was, I let my curiosity overtake my common sense and purposely handled a live specimen to see what it felt like. I guess I was lucky, because I had no reaction at all.
As for going barefoot, I have been down there barefoot before and had a bad allergic reaction to some plant growing in that area. That coupled with the fact that I am a severe arachnophobe means that I will be keeping my boots on. lol
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Post by bandrow on Jun 30, 2012 10:44:51 GMT -8
Greetings,
I have handled many genera of true 'blister beetles' - family Meloidae - without any skin irritation. However, I did experience blistering of the skin on my fingers after carelessly handling a species of Meloe in southern Arizona. The blistering started as a slight pain, almost like a light bruising, the day after I had handled them. Within 2-3 days, the skin began to blister and peel - not pleasant at all!
In the southern U.S. and in particular southern Florida, the "blister beetle" that causes so much anguish is actually a species of Oedemeridae, the 'false blister beetle', possibly in the genus Oxacis. Oedemeridae possess cantharidin, the same defensive compund present in the Meloidae. During a collecting trip to the Florida Keys, these would come readily to the blacklight sheet, and often landed upon me as I worked the sheet. I had one get under my shirt collar, and another under my shirt sleave. The next morning I woke up with shallow blisters about 1-2" in diameter on the back of my neck and upper arm. They were filled with watery secretions, like with a severe sunburn. They were shallow enough that the covering skin peeled easily and left an open, raw sore. They did heal rather quickly, but while fresh were quite painful.
During the same trip, I saw a local newspaper that had an article about the problems with "blister beetles" and had a bit of biological info about them. The information was accurate, but the drawing of a 'blister beetle' that accompanied the article was of a tiger beetle. No doubt the paper used the first file image of a beetle they could find to illustrate the article!
Cheers!
Bandrow
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Post by Borja Gómez on Jul 3, 2012 17:46:10 GMT -8
Hello Until now I didn't feared the Meloidae at all, but reading your comments, even if I never had such a skin reaction, I will be more careful in my next encounter with this kind of coleoptera. Perhaps the spanish species are not so reactive, but I don't want my skin to be peeled!  Regards |
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Post by entoman on Jul 7, 2012 20:39:03 GMT -8
Back on the topic of inadvertently crushing potential specimens, after helping someone move some tables recently that had been stored outside a while I noticed that in the process we had crushed a rather nice Calosoma sayi. I was rather disappointed, but at least I now know to keep watch for this specie in that area.
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Jul 7, 2012 21:37:03 GMT -8
We have quite a few of those in this area. They stink something horrible when threatened! I have to resist the urge to collect a few extra when ever I see them. We also have C. scrutator around here, shaped just like the sayi, but a beautiful metallic green.
On the topic of stepping on specimens, I did it again tonight. This time it was a large D. tityus female! My lightsheet has been almost totally deserted for a week and a half so I was just halfheartedly looking around when I felt that familiar crunch beneath my heel. She survived, but has a cracked thorax now. I was kicking myself ready to scream when less than thirty seconds later another female landed right next to me. I now have three females in the aquarium with my little male. I hope to get a few grubs out of them.
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Post by bandrow on Jul 8, 2012 9:14:23 GMT -8
Greetings,
My condolences on your most recent mis-step!! Do you use some kind of dropcloth or sheet under your light for specimens to land on, and therefore be more visible? If not, give it a try.
The only specimen of Lucanus elaphus that I know of having been collected in Ohio was found in the same manner. I pulled into a parking lot to collect at some lights, and a friend in the passenger seat got out, and heard a big crunch under his first step. Turned out to be a small male, and had the head and pronotum cracked down the middle. He kept the specimen, despite the damage, and to this day, it is the only verified record of the species that I am aware of for the state of Ohio.
Cheers!
Bandrow
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Jul 8, 2012 11:40:54 GMT -8
I do use a drop cloth, but it seems that a lot of the large beetles like to drop in the grass just beyond the reach of the light and walk the rest of the way in. I do need a larger drop cloth, but the 2 that I stepped on were so far away that a drop cloth that large would just not be reasonable. lol I looked up Lucanus elaphus (and the word pronotum, turns out that is what I put a crack in with both missteps) According to BugGuide, there are records of that beetle being here as well, but I had never seen it. If I were to step on one of those, I would probably have to go away for a good while to keep from throwing a tantrum and breaking my setup.  So far 2 of my 3 most significant beetle finds at my mv light were found with the heel of my boot. I don't think I could stand having another significant find the same way lol. On a side note, it seems that the beetle was not mortally injured. She is still quite lively in the aquarium with my other D. tityus. |
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Post by bandrow on Jul 11, 2012 17:50:50 GMT -8
That's a common habit of large Coleoptera - to land at the edge of the perimeter of light. An effective way of bringing them further in is to cycle your lights between mercury vapor and ultraviolet. I run a MV light in conjunction with a blacklight tube, and about every 45 minutes, I shut down the MV and let just the UV run. The beetles that have dropped on the perimeter become active again and come all the way into the UV. They can start arriving as soon as 5 minutes after killing the MV. Once the burst of activity begins to die down (usually 15-20 minutes or so), fire the MV back up and repeat the cycle. You'll be amazed at how well this works...
Cheers!
Bandrow
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Post by nitelightman on Jul 14, 2012 17:40:04 GMT -8
I love your dont you hate it post. You my friend need to slow down and utilize a decent flashlite. the largest D Tityus male I have found yet was laying upside down in the grass ten feet in front of my setup. Had I not been using a cautious approach and the light it would have been crunch for sure. I am in north GA and we are blessed with a great variety of coleoptera. I collected a nice large P Truncatus two nights ago also. Keep the light on !!!
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Jul 14, 2012 19:19:37 GMT -8
I find myself stepping very gingerly these days, pausing to shine the flashlight and inspect the ground each place I plan to step. The grass is very thick at my setup (it stays in one spot until I can afford to get a setup that doesn't need an extension cord running from my house) so I have to be extra careful. The P. truncatus was so deep under the grass that even kneeling down with my light shining directly on the spot, I saw nothing until I dug under the grass. I went to check a gas station near my house the past two nights. I found three new beetles that I didn't know about. Had I gotten there a little sooner, I would have had another male D. tityus. The carnage was fresh, it looked like it happened just minutes before I arrived. At least it wasn't my boot this time! |
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So far 2 of my 3 most significant beetle finds at my mv light were found with the heel of my boot. I don't think I could stand having another significant find the same way lol.