poisonarrow
Full Member
Looking for fellow entomologists in the SF Bay area
Posts: 109
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Post by poisonarrow on Oct 24, 2017 10:15:29 GMT -8
Hi there,
season is starting soon (has started already depending on where you are). Anyone in the Bay Area up for some rain beetling? Quite a few interesting species around that would come out with the first big rain.
Cheers Ben
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poisonarrow
Full Member
Looking for fellow entomologists in the SF Bay area
Posts: 109
|
Post by poisonarrow on Mar 1, 2018 16:26:15 GMT -8
Hi all,
season is almost over. I did manage to get P. behrensi, P. conjugens conjugens and P. hoppingi. The only one out now will be P. rubiginosa, which I am not sure I can manage to drive to, as they are about 6 hours away.
Do any of the members here collect rain beetles? It's one of the best insect collecting experiences I ever had, because it is so timed and unlike other collecting.
Cheers Ben
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Post by bandrow on Mar 1, 2018 18:17:59 GMT -8
Greetings,
Pleocoma sound like a really fun thing to go after. Here in the East, I often go after Scaphinotus (Carabidae) and while very different in habits, they are fickle as to when they are active, and can be a challenge to hunt. I like species that require a bit of "earning them" rather than just collecting them...
Cheers! Bandrow
P.S. - I sent you a PM too...
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poisonarrow
Full Member
Looking for fellow entomologists in the SF Bay area
Posts: 109
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Post by poisonarrow on Mar 2, 2018 6:51:37 GMT -8
Thank you. Scaphinotus are similar here. Best time to find them are in the early spring where I am, and I normally just find them under rocks and logs. They definitely need a lot of work to find a few. Pleocoma is a lot of guesswork, and a large portion of good luck. If the timing is spot on, you can get many, and it's exciting collecting, but a few days later or before nothing Cheers Ben
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Post by bandrow on Mar 3, 2018 7:18:47 GMT -8
Greetings,
You're right about Scaphinotus being a lot of work for a few specimens. Here in the East, the best way to collect them is by running pitfalls, but my interest in them is more casual, so I headlamp for them when I think the conditions are right. If you pick the right night, they can be found climbing tree trunks in search of snails - beautiful sight to see a big cychrine 5' off the ground - glittering purple, blue, green or red in the headlamp light! They need a certain combination of temperature and humidity to get them climbing, preferably 70F with a dew point over 65F after about 11:00 p.m. - only a few nights a year hit those numbers - especially in the higher elevations where the beetles are more common.
I guess the other taxa that I say I had to earn were several species of cave carabids - lots of pain and dirt going after them, but coming out of a cave, muddy and exhausted, with a few specimens is a real thrill.
Check your messages too - I sent you a PM with a couple of questions...
Cheers! Bandrow
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poisonarrow
Full Member
Looking for fellow entomologists in the SF Bay area
Posts: 109
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Pleocoma
Oct 5, 2018 11:01:19 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by poisonarrow on Oct 5, 2018 11:01:19 GMT -8
I am not in the states anymore, but looks like Pleocoma started again. I heard that australis had a flight, and am interested to hear who is going rain beetling this year! For sure one thing I am missing a lot.
Cheers Ben
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Post by joee30 on Nov 1, 2018 12:05:57 GMT -8
Hi Ben. Waiting on the next big rain storm to come. All the early ones have come out, so I figure the next big storm will bring the next batch out. Are you still living in the Bay Area?
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poisonarrow
Full Member
Looking for fellow entomologists in the SF Bay area
Posts: 109
|
Pleocoma
Nov 4, 2018 22:57:45 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by poisonarrow on Nov 4, 2018 22:57:45 GMT -8
Hi joe,
Thanks. I am living in Europe now. So winter is a quiet time, sadly.
Really miss my Pleocoma hunts.
Cheers Ben
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