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NOTE: As of 2014, the California Beetle Project page is no longer updated. The original database and list of California beetles in the menu on the left will remain for the time being, but the information contained within is not necessarily current. SBMNH Entomology Curator Matthew L. Gimmel has divided up the function of the original database into two conceptual halves:

  1. The SBMNH Entomology specimen-level database, including all SBMNH beetle specimens included in the CBP database, which is now available (and ever-growing) through the ecdysis portal at https://serv.biokic.asu.edu/ecdysis/

  2. A literature- (and available specimen-)based checklist.
    3. of the Coleoptera of California, which is being revised and re-compiled by Dr. Gimmel, and, as of January 2017, is about 85% complete.



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Last updated 01/16/2009

 California Beetle Project > Species Pages > Oxylaemus californicus

Classification

Scientific name: Oxylaemus californicus Crotch
    Order Coleoptera
    Superfamily Cucujoidea
    Family Bothrideridae

Images (click to enlarge)

What it looks like: 3.2-4.4 mm in length. Its body is cylindrical, elongate, and light reddish-brown. Its antennae are clubbed, with the last segment being prominently larger than all the rest. Both the elytra and the head have evenly spaced shallow punctures covering them.

Where you'll find it: This beetle is commonly found in the Pacific Northwest, extending through the Sierra Nevada into southern California.

Natural History: It is active in the summer months and most commonly found under older, dry coniferous bark. They may be netted flying near dusk on warm evenings.

This page was written by Maren Farnum, a 2005 California Beetle Project intern.



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