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Post by bandrow on May 8, 2011 20:04:03 GMT -8
Greetings,
I agree, Thanos - all three subspecies of O. orpheus are very shiny and green or purplish. And judging by the size of the pin head (just a guess, mind you) that this specimen is too big to be orpheus as well.
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on May 7, 2011 10:38:53 GMT -8
Hi Clark,
The last few times I've logged on to the forum a banner popped up saying that I had "1 new message" and to open my inbox. This is clearly a pop-up for some advertiser and not a real Inbox alert. Can this be blocked? Not to say it's something nefarious, but whenever tricks are being employed to get one's attention and to click on a link, chances are it's impending B.S. ...
Thanks! Bandrow (Bob Androw)
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Post by bandrow on May 7, 2011 8:58:00 GMT -8
Bradleigh,
Look closely at the pronotum - if it is hecate, it will be covered in granules - tiny little bumps - and not have punctures. It will also be covered in short, stiff hairs. All of the other species in the area will have a punctate pronotum...
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on May 5, 2011 9:29:39 GMT -8
Bradleigh,
Thanos is correct - it is Onthophagus nuchicornis. It is the only species we have in the East with that coloration and horn structure. You don't mention size, but it should be relatively large for Onthophagus in NA - around 6-8mm. It is mostly northern in distribution and usually found in sandy areas. As Thanos said, it is an introduced species now widely occurring in northern North America.
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on May 3, 2011 19:17:56 GMT -8
Greetings,
Looks a lot like the females of the genus Ceruchus from North America. I'm not a lucanid worker, but I would think that Ceruchus could occur in China as well.
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on May 3, 2011 19:10:16 GMT -8
Greetings,
Easy one to verify - check the underside of the last segment of the abdomen (last abdominal sternite) - if it is entire (smooth, no grooves) it is T. minnesotana; if it has a notch (emargination) in the end, it is T. proxima.
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on May 3, 2011 19:02:38 GMT -8
Greetings, The genus Anoplodera is valid and contains about 23 species in the Old World and one in the Nearctic region. Anoplodera pubera was previously in the genus Strangalepta and most recently Anoploderomorpha. Another good website for checking nomenclature is www.biolib.cz - check it out. Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on Jan 29, 2011 20:06:37 GMT -8
Hi Michel,
That is always the safest thing to do - stay with "sp." until it can be determined to species without doubt.
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on Jan 24, 2011 22:27:25 GMT -8
Greetings,
It's not possible to determine this to species with any certainty without dissecting the genitalia, but the most common species in your area should be P. anxia, although P. fusca and P. drakei should be there as well and they are nearly identical externally. Doesn't appear to be any of the other species likely in your area - several like P. longispina, P. hirticula and P. vilifrons all have noticeable hairs on the upper surface; P. futilis tends to be more orangish and has odd boot-shaped hind spurs in the male; and P. marginalis and P. rugosa have heavily punctate pronota. Further, P. drakei tends to be a summer species, so I would say it is possibly anxia or fusca, both of which are earlier spring species...
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on Jan 14, 2011 19:38:26 GMT -8
Check the web for images of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys. This is an invasive from China that has spread over much of the eastern U.S. in the last decade. I can't tell from the pic if this is the same species, but it appears to have white bands on the antennae which is one of the identifying characters. Also, examine the underside closely and see if the punctures (the scattered pits on the surface) are metallic green, in contrast to the dull brown base color.
They are harmless to humans, other than being a nuisance by hibernating inside buildings. There have been some recent reports that they are doing minor damage to tomato crops in some areas. It will be interesting to see if they are out-competing any of our native stink bugs since these reproduce in huge numbers - similar to the Asian ladybird beetle (Harmonia axyridis) that has been implicated in the increasing rarity of some of our large native ladybird beetles.
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on Jan 9, 2011 20:22:11 GMT -8
This is a species of Meloidae. I do not know the genus or species, but I am sure someone else can help further.
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on Jan 9, 2011 20:20:36 GMT -8
Your beetle is a species of Meloidae. I do not know the genus or species, but someone else may be able to help further.
Cheers! Bandrow
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Post by bandrow on Jan 9, 2011 20:18:51 GMT -8
Your beetle is a species of Meloidae. I do not know the genus or species, but someone else may be able to help further.
Cheers! Bandrow
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