Always is!

And this #TenebTuesday an answer (at last!)—this is the rarely collected Prateus fusculus LeConte, 1862, a member of the subfamily Lagriinae & type genus of the recently-established tribe Prateini (Aalbu et al. 2023)

A mystery teneb for this #TenebTuesday — specimen collected by Charles Dury in Cincinnati &, until last month, was only identified as "'Tenebrionidae unknown' teste [George Henry] Horn" — any guesses?

Found this cartoonish monstrosity of a specimen preparation while sorting through drawers of unidentified flies in @purdueentcoll.bsky.social !

Want to set up your own photo-stacking imaging system for under $3000? This post which outlines all the off-the-shelf items I used this year along with some recommendations for how to use it. Planning to talk about this at @entcollnet.bsky.social this November, too! www.insectid.org/post/focus-s...

But this is going to be yet another area where the taxonomists who did all the work to set up the species and the traits to identify them don't get paid. Even as many are retiring or losing their jobs, the resources get diverted away from expertise to the tech sector instead.

Spotted this “stack” of specimens collected by Charles Dury in 1904 at the Cincinnati Museum Center-upon turning over, I was surprised gold-colored corrosion(?) on the underside

And for #TenebTuesday here’s Strongylium crenatum Mäklin, 1867—this species is widespread in the southeastern US, but can separated from the other co-occurring Strongylium by its iridescent green coloration, punctate elytral striae, & indistinct, crenate pronotal margins

For #WeevilWednesday — a 106-year-old specimen of an anthribid, Toxonotus fascicularis (Schönherr 1833), described by its collector, Willis Blatchley, as "a prettily marked medium sized anthribid frequent on the dead branches" of saffron plum, Sideroxylon celastrinum.

Doyen & Lawrence (1979) note “Edrotes [Pimeliinae: Edrotini] (North America) & Epiphysa [Pimeliinae: Adesmiini] (southern Africa) are strikingly similar in external appearance [but] major differences in endoskeletal features, mouthparts & genitalia refute a close relationship" #TenebrionidTricky

Back from an end-of-semester-hiatus here's Epiphysa ciliata Bates, 1872 (Pimeliinae: Adesmiini) for this #TenebTuesday —1 of 9 distinctively globose spp found across arid southern Africa. They are “crepuscular to nocturnal,” retreating to “rocky crevices or mammal burrows” in the day (Penrith 1978)

This specimen has been in @purdueentcoll.bsky.social for nearly 130 years — but has only two minute labels reading "Marquette, Michigan" & "H.G.H." [Henry Guernsey Hubbard] — Hubbard collected extensively in the Lake Superior region in 1876 (Mallis 1971), making this specimens over 149 years old!

Back from an unintended break — for this #TenebTuesday here's very typical (looking) #tenebrionid — Bouchardandrus concolor (LeConte, 1866), only species in the genus & only known to from the Great Lakes region of Canada (MB ON QC) & US (MI MN OH WI) (Steiner 2016, Bousquet et al. 2018)

On this #TenebTuesday an excellent #tenebrionid — a species of Trogloderus (Blaptinae: Amphidorini) — the nine distinctively sculptured species are restricted to sandy areas & dunes in the western United States.

From a warm night last fall—several Marbled Fungus Weevils, Euparius marmoreus (Olivier, 1795), at fungus on a fallen tree—these individuals show some of the variation in size & color common in this species!

For this #TenebTuesday a deceptive #tenebrionid — Nilio (Linio) lanatus Germar, 1824 from Bahia, Brazil. Nilio adults & larvae (& sometimes aggregations of either or both stages!) can be found on trunks & branches of trees, where they have been observed feeding on fungus & lichens #Coletopera

A pair of myrmecophilus crickets, Myrmecophilus pergandei Bruner, 1884, collected September 6, 1902 in Crawford County, Indiana by W.S. Blatchley—such cool insects! #Orthoptera

And for this #TenebTuesday here's the distinctively diminutive, setose Eleodes barbata Wickham, 1918 (Blaptinae: Amphidorini)—the species is found in the Four-Corners region of the Colorado Plateau (AZ, CO, NM, & UT)—this beetle was voraciously nibbling on a dry blade of grass!

It's #TenebTuesday! This large (>2 cm), intricately sculptured #tenebrionid from Malawi is Catamerus revoili Fairmaire, 1887 (Lagriinae: Pycnocerini)—the 19 Pycnocerini genera are largely found in tropical Africa, w/ 3 in the Philippines, Indonesia, & Malaysia (Schawaller 2003)

For this late night #TenebTuesday here's a hand-colored plate of #tenebrionids from Lacordaire's monumental Genera des Coléoptères—this collection of twelve plates and text explanations was still in their original paper wrappers!

Natural history collections, like the PERC, are the closest thing we have to a time machine! purdueag.exposure.co/perc

Adult & larval forked fungus beetles (family Tenebrionidae) are found on/in shelf fungus across the eastern U.S. & Canada—& despite their appearance they can fly! #TenebTuesday

And before another #TenebTuesday is over—this is Bolitotherus cornutus (Fabricius, 1801) [Tenebrioninae: Bolitophagini], THE Forked Fungus Beetle! Males have a distinctive pair of curved, forward-pointing pronotal horns—zoom in to see the mites & pscoid on the pronotum & elytra! #Coleoptera

For #TenebTuesday here is a species of the genus Eurychora (Pimeliinae: Adelostomini) from Namibia—note the waxy, filamentous cuticular pruinescence & how it accumulates detritus to camouflage the beetle! #Coleoptera

#Proposals or #nominations for our honors, #awards, and #grants are due on March 1. More info and requirements at www.coleopsoc.org/society-info...

For a belated #TenebTuesday — this is Polemiotus submetallicus (LeConte, 1854) [Pimeliinae: Epitragini] from a light sheet in Arizona this summer. The only species in the genus, this large, elongate, flighted #tenebrionid is found in Arizona & nw Mexico & recognizable by its distinctive head shape!

It's #TenebTuesday! The tiny #tenebrionids on this intriguing two for one "point" are Soemias minuta Champion, 1884 (Pimeliinae: Edrotini), from Tabasco, Mexico #Coleoptera #Tenebrionidae

It’s #TenebTuesday! Another “pancaked” #Adelostomini —Stips sp.—photographed at night near Gobabeb Namib Research Institute. The adult beetles spend the days buried in the sand, emerging at night to forage on the dunes. #Coleoptera #Tenebrionidae

And for the first #TenebTuesday of 2025—another angle of Ammodonus granosus—this genus can be separated from other North American #tenebrionids by their indented clypeus, divided eyes, and body densely covered in scale-like setae! #Coleoptera

It's the last #TenebTuesday of 2024—this is the amazingly "scaly" Ammodonus granosus Fall, 1912 (Blaptinae: Opatrini)—Ammodonus species are festooned w/ flattened, scale-like setae! Photographed at a blacklight sheet in southern AZ #Tenebrionidae #Coleoptera

A wonderfully weird #tenebrionid for this #TenebTuesday—Cossyphus sp. (Lagriinae: Cossyphini)—found in the Omusati Region, Namibia—distinctively flattened, but a surprisingly quick runner! #Coleoptera

A tiny, troublesome (to identify) #tenebrionid for this #TenebTuesday: Cheirodes californicus (Horn, 1870) (Tenebrioninae: Melanimonini), the only species of Melanimonini from the U.S., found in western deserts. The genus has quite an aphodiine scarab gestalt!

Steiner (2005) notes Nautes azurescens specimens from Cuba "are generally larger and metallic greenish, Florida specimens are more blue-green in color but less brightly metallic, and the Bahamian ones are intermediate in color and much less brightly shining." #TenebTuesday

This specimen was collected by W.S. Blatchley —his brief label says “R.P.P. Fla. ... 3-25-24”—but in an unpublished manuscript, “Winter & Spring Insects of Royal Palm Park,” he included more details (under the synonym N. viridimicans)—beetles were “beaten from dead limbs” #PERCBugs #TenebTuesday

It’s #TenebTuesday! Outshining the name “darkling beetle” this is Nautes azurescens (Jacquelin du Val, 1857) [Tenebrioninae: Helopini] from USA: Florida, Cuba, & the Bahamas. Adults “taken at lights … [but] habits of this species are unknown” (Steiner 2005) [scale = 1mm] #Coleoptera #PERCBugs

This striking, fuzzy fly (Eudasys ophrys Whittington [Platystomatidae]) caught my attention when sorting a box of (largely unidentified) Diptera from Nigeria—never know what you'll in a collection! #PERCBugs #FlyFriday

This was epic. Please do save the demon shrimp who lost his glasses #crustmas Best intro to the Red List I've ever seen (and I do this for a living) @sscmarine.bsky.social @protectspecies.bsky.social

Triplehorn (1965) dryly noted “Many ... Neotropical [Platydema] are conspicuously patterned in bold reds and yellows ... Only [P. elliptica], among the Nearctic forms, approaches them in this respect” #TenebTuesday

Platydema elliptica is widespread across North America—CT to UT, Ontario to TX (Bousquet et al. 2018)—on fungus/under bark. Triplehorn (1965) distinguished by lack of horns/tubercles, dorsal surface not shiny (“dull and lustreless”)+“black w/ oblique red band on each elytron” #TenebTuesday

It's #TenebTuesday – here's a grouping of the colorful Platydema elliptica (Fabricius, 1798) [Diaperinae] from a summer night's forest wandering near West Lafayette, IN–Weiss (1919) noted larvae & pupae "quite abundant" on fungi w/ adults just starting to emerge in "middle of September" #Coleoptera

A delicate, time-consuming method (perhaps more of an art!) to preserve caterpillars is inflation — but it can produce stunningly life-like specimens, like this over 100-year-old silkworm (Bombyx mori)! #PERCBugs #Lepidoptera

Many Tarpela species are illustrated in the Biologia Centrali-Americana—much of this page and the last row of the preceding page (browse the full volume here: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/580913) #Coleoptera #Tenebrionidae #TenebTuesday

The coloration (“metallic ‘oily rainbow’”) and flat elytral intervals separate T. micans from the two other Tarpela species in the U.S. (Steiner 2009)—56 more species occur in Mexico and Central America (Bousquet et al. 2018)! #Coleoptera #Tenebrionidae #TenebTuesday

Because one photo isn’t enough for this #TenebTuesday taxon–a close-up view of Tarpela micans #Coleoptera #Tenebrionidae

For the 2nd Bluesky #TenebTuesday an "old friend," Tarpela micans (Fabricius, 1798) (Tenebrioninae: Helopini), found in the eastern U.S. under loose bark or at lights. Always a treat to encounter them—"Our most brilliant member of the family" (Blatchley 1910)—high praise for a darkling beetle!

An unreasonably photogenic cucujoid (Helota vigorsii MacLeay, 1825) from East Java with tiny hitchhikers (phoretic mites)! #Helotidae #Coleoptera #PERCBugs

I'm always captivated by the delightfully named Peacock Fly, Callopistromyia annulipes (Macquart, 1855) [family Ulidiidae]—this one was strutting on a log while waving its wings #FlyFriday #Diptera

An unidentified weevil from California collected in 1888—on the pin you see a type of vivid green corrosion called verdigris—a reaction between the metals used in very old pins + drawer microclimate & can be a serious problem in some, often historic collections #WeevilWednesday #PERCBugs

@colinpurrington.bsky.social reminded me of these excellent Lepidochora figures in Coineau et al. (1982)—highlighting their ultrapsammophilous characters (body, tibial, tarsal, & setal modifications) & "trenching" behavior! #TenebTuesday