wondering what this bug is
Location: 31deg54’42.99”N, 106deg27’20.90”W
November 29, 2010 12:05 pm
One of my favorite photos. Took this in Aug. 2006 just after a record rain and flood in the desert off the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, TX. The abdomen of what appears to be a type of ant was roughly 1/2” long.
I’ve always wondered if the heavy and unusual amount of rain affected this bug’s normal appearance.
Signature: Christopher Licking
Hi Christoper,
This is a Desert Spider Beetle in the genus Cysteodemus. Some members of this genus are known as Inflated Beetles because of the air filled abdomen. Your beetle is the Black Bladder-Bodied Meloid, Cysteodemus wislizeni, which you may read about on BugGuide. Rain frequently triggers activity in desert dwelling insects.