Subject: Beetle?
Location: South Texas
July 8, 2017 10:30 pm
Found this creepy crawly while walking my dogs tonight. I have lived in this exact house for a majority of my life and have never seen a beetle like it. I have looked everywhere and cannot seem to identify it, it’s simple curiosity that has me asking. He was about the size of a quarter, fairly flat, a light gray color all over, his head was hidden from my view, he seemed to have sections similar to a pill bug. Hope you can help!
Signature: Brianna
Dear Brianna,
This is not a Beetle. It is a female Sandroach in the genus Arenviga, probably Boll’s Sandroach which is pictured on BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “The downy females have no wings and burrow in the dust under houses and in natural rock shelters where they feed on packrat droppings” and “Other related species occur in West and South Texas.”