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NOTE: As of 2014, the California Beetle Project page is no longer updated.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 > Tachinus semirufus

Classification

Scientific name: Tachinus semirufus Horn
    Order Coleoptera
    Superfamily Staphylinoidea
    Family Staphylinidae

Images (click to enlarge)

What it looks like: 5.5-7.5 mm in length. Its body is elongate and reddish-brown, with long, slightly clubbed antennae. Its head is dark brown and the elytra are short, exposing most of the abdomen.

Where you'll find it: This species is found mostly along the west coast of the United States and British Columbia. It does occur as far east as central Nevada, however it is more common in the coastal mountain ranges.

Natural History: These beetles are most active from May through July and are usually found in decomposing plant material and rotting mushrooms.

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




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