Categories
Rain BeetlesFound a bug
Location: Northern Ca foothills near Auburn CA
November 13, 2011 1:58 pm
Hi, I found this bug on my doorstep this morning. It is about 2 inches long. Not sure what kind it is and if I should be concerned about the trees or house. We live in a heavily wooded area, many pines and oaks in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Auburn CA.
Can you tell us what bug this is?
Signature: Duke
Rain Beetle
Hi Duke,
Congratulations on your wonderful sighting. This is a male Rain Beetle in the family Pleocomidae (see BugGuide), a family with a range that is limited to the west coast of North America. Rain Beetles are a very unusual family of beetles. Larvae live underground and feed on the roots of oaks and conifers and they can remain underground for as long as ten years. Mating activity is triggered by rain. Only male Rain Beetles have wings, and they will circle the ground until they locate the burrows of a flightless female. There are many species of Rain Beetles and many have very limited ranges. An expert is required to distinguish one species from another. There was an excellent article in the LA Times several years ago on the Rain Beetles.
I like ThisRelated Posts
-
(11/02/2004)Rain Beetle -
(11/05/2005)Rain Beetles -
(11/28/2008)Rain Beetle -
(11/19/2009)Another Rain Beetle
Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.
Post a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.