Where can the clown beetle be found?
Where can the clown beetle be found?
Clown beetles, also known as Hister beetles, are a family (Histeridae) that contains over 3900 species. Their unusually glossy-but-sculptured surfaces and spiny appendages make them sought after by some collectors. They are found throughout the world, but not terribly common in Central Texas, which is why when Dr.
Why are they called clown beetles?
Many people believe the name is associated with the Hister beetles’ ability to imitate death when they are disturbed. Still, some believe this family of beetles was named for its physical characteristics. The Clown beetle has flattened legs, which can be compared to a clown’s flat shoes or loose-fitting pants.
What to do when you have maggots?
If you find maggots in food or the trash, you can boil them and the eggs together to kill them. Another option is to thoroughly sprinkle them with salt or spray them with an insecticide. If you find them in carpeting or baseboards in your home, you will generally need to spray.
Which insect is also known as Clown beetle?
Histeridae is a family of beetles commonly known as Clown beetles or Hister beetles (Catts and Goff 1992). Clown beetles are usually small, seldom getting beyond 10 mm in length. Both the larvae and adults are predacious and feed readily on juicy maggots and fly puparia (Byrd and Castner 2009).
What do clown beetles do?
Clown beetles, also known as hister beetles, inhabit carrion, dung, and other decaying materials. They rarely measure more than 10 mm in length. Clown beetles prefer to shelter in the soil under the carcass during the day. They emerge at night to prey on carrion-feeding insects, like maggots or dermestid beetle larvae.
What is the scientific name of Histeridae?
Histeridae. Histeridae is a family of beetles commonly known as Clown beetles or Hister beetles. This very diverse group of beetles contains 3,900 species found worldwide. They can be easily identified by their shortened elytra that leaves two of the seven tergites exposed, and their elbowed antennae with clubbed ends.
Where can I find the Louisiana Histeridae?
The list of the Louisiana Histeridae presented below is the result of sorting and identifying specimens preserved in the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum (LSAM), Baton Rouge, LA, a literature search, and screening of several North American beetle collections for records (see list below).
What is the shape of a Hister beetle?
The two main shapes for this family are oval and flat. The elytra is shorter than the abdomen with typically two of the seven tergites exposed. Hister beetles have specialized heads that can retract into their prothorax and two geniculate (elbowed) antennae with clubbed ends.
What is the difference between clown beetle and Histeridae?
The Clown beetle has flattened legs, which can be compared to a clown’s flat shoes or loose-fitting pants. The elytra and forewings are normally well developed in beetles, but in Histeridae the elytra are shortened and rectangular.
