Eleodes osculans

Eleodes osculans, the wooly darkling beetle or woolly ground beetle, is a common insect in coastal southern and central California in wooded areas or chaparral, and in Baja California.[2][3] As a stink beetle of genus Eleodes, its easily observed defensive posture is to raise its hind end and secrete an unpleasant odor. E. osculans has a length of 12-16 mm and is the only known darkling beetle species with reddish-brown hair covering most of its black exoskeleton.[2][4] It is similar to Eleodes nigropilosa and Eleodes littoralis, which have darker hair.[4]

Wooly darkling beetle
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Tenebrionidae
Genus: Eleodes
Species:
E. osculans
Binomial name
Eleodes osculans
LeConte, 1851
Synonyms[1]
  • Amphidora osculans
  • Cratidus fuscipilosus
  • Cratidus ovipennis
  • Eleodes behrii
  • Eleodes intermedia

References
  1. Bousquet, Yves; Thomas, Donald B.; Bouchard, Patrice; Smith, Aaron D.; Aalbu, Rolf L.; Johnston, M. Andrew; Jr, Warren E. Steiner (2018-01-15). "Catalogue of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of North America". ZooKeys (728): 1–455. doi:10.3897/zookeys.728.20602. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 5799738. PMID 29416389.
  2. Will, Kip; Gross, Joyce; Rubinoff, Daniel; Powell, Jerry A. (2020). Field Guide to California Insects. Oakland, California: University of California Press. p. 244. ISBN 9780520288744.
  3. Bousquet, Yves; Thomas, Donald B.; Bouchard, Patrice; Smith, Aaron D.; Aalbu, Rolf L.; Johnston, M. Andrew; Jr, Warren E. Steiner (2018-01-15). "Catalogue of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of North America". ZooKeys (728): 1–455. doi:10.3897/zookeys.728.20602. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 5799738. PMID 29416389.
  4. "Species Eleodes osculans - Wooly Darkling Beetle". BugGuide. Retrieved April 13, 2022.

Further reading
  • Arnett, R.H., jr.; Thomas, M.C.; Skelley, P.E.; Frank, J.H. (eds.) 2002: American beetles. Volume 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, Florida. limited preview


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