Post by trehopr1 on Oct 29, 2020 21:40:12 GMT -8
During my last field foray of the season on October 9th I spied a flying beetle somewhat "hovering" in place near a forest edge / open field transition zone. It was not unfamiliar to me as I have collected at least one specimen like it before some 12 years ago.
One swing of the net nabbed my quarry and sure enough I had secured a specimen of a Cedar Beetle (Family:Rhipiceridae). The most common species encountered on such infrequent occasions is (Sandalus niger). The Rhipiceridae is a small family with more than 100 species in 7 genera. However, the Nearctic fauna currently consists of only 5 species in total; of which only 3 of those occur in eastern North America !
The genus Sandalus was proposed by Knoch (1801) to include two North American species (S. niger and S. petrophya). Since that time a third species belonging to the genus has been added (S. porosus)(LeConte); which ranges from Florida west to Colorado and Arizona (Katovich, 2002).
Adult Sandalus are long (15-24 mm), convex, and may appear reddish brown or black (sometimes bicolored) and coarsely punctured on their elytra. Females are typically larger than males. The head has bulging eyes.
Very little is known about the biology of rhipicerid beetles, with the exception of S. niger. Adults of S. niger do not feed and reach peak activity from late September through early October. Females are noted for laying large numbers of eggs in the holes and cracks of bark, preferably in areas rich in cicadas. Craighead (1921) proposed that the larvae of S. niger develop as ectoparasitoids of immature cicadas after discovering a pupa and cast larval exoskeleton of the beetle within a dead and hollowed-out cicada nymph.
The more recent moniker "cicada parasite beetles", first coined by Downie & Arnett (1996), is more descriptive given the available information on the larval biology of Sandalus. Below, my female specimen...
So, in closing I just thought that something like this beetle is unusual to encounter (generally) and was worth noting a brief article and accompanying photo.
Of coarse, this is a summation of this little known family taken from several articles which I reviewed for readers enjoyment.
One swing of the net nabbed my quarry and sure enough I had secured a specimen of a Cedar Beetle (Family:Rhipiceridae). The most common species encountered on such infrequent occasions is (Sandalus niger). The Rhipiceridae is a small family with more than 100 species in 7 genera. However, the Nearctic fauna currently consists of only 5 species in total; of which only 3 of those occur in eastern North America !
The genus Sandalus was proposed by Knoch (1801) to include two North American species (S. niger and S. petrophya). Since that time a third species belonging to the genus has been added (S. porosus)(LeConte); which ranges from Florida west to Colorado and Arizona (Katovich, 2002).
Adult Sandalus are long (15-24 mm), convex, and may appear reddish brown or black (sometimes bicolored) and coarsely punctured on their elytra. Females are typically larger than males. The head has bulging eyes.
Very little is known about the biology of rhipicerid beetles, with the exception of S. niger. Adults of S. niger do not feed and reach peak activity from late September through early October. Females are noted for laying large numbers of eggs in the holes and cracks of bark, preferably in areas rich in cicadas. Craighead (1921) proposed that the larvae of S. niger develop as ectoparasitoids of immature cicadas after discovering a pupa and cast larval exoskeleton of the beetle within a dead and hollowed-out cicada nymph.
The more recent moniker "cicada parasite beetles", first coined by Downie & Arnett (1996), is more descriptive given the available information on the larval biology of Sandalus. Below, my female specimen...
So, in closing I just thought that something like this beetle is unusual to encounter (generally) and was worth noting a brief article and accompanying photo.
Of coarse, this is a summation of this little known family taken from several articles which I reviewed for readers enjoyment.
