Friday Beetle Blogging: Scarites Ground Beetle

Scarites1

Scarites sp. Ground Beetle (Carabidae)

Urbana, Illinois

As the summer bug season freezes to a close here in Illinois, our attention turns increasingly to the cryptic habitats where insects settle in to overwinter.  The flowers have faded, but insects can still be found under tree bark, in rotting wood, and in leaf litter.  This ground beetle had burrowed under a stone, aided by its shovel-like fossorial forelegs.

Photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D

ISO 100, f/11, 1/200 sec, flash diffused through tracing paper

More like this

Omoglymmius, wrinkled bark beetle (Rhysodini). California. Rhysodine beetles make their living feeding on slime molds under the bark of decaying trees .  They are instantly recognizable from the grooves on their backs and from their distinctly moniliform (bead-like) antennae.  The taxonomic…
Female (left) and male Sandalus niger Cicada Parasite Beetles Sandalus niger is one of the oddest beetles in eastern North America.  While most parasitic insects are concentrated in other orders- notably Hymenoptera and Diptera- Coleoptera contains relatively few parasites.  But there are a few…
A velvet mite forages over a rotting log in Urbana, Illinois. I don't photograph all that many mites, but if these miniature arachnids are your thing you should visit Macromite's amazing mite blog. photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f13, flash…
Pyramica clypeata Urbana, Illinois photo details: Canon mp-e 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D ISO 100, f/13, 1/250 sec, flash diffused through tracing paper