Chris Wirth
@ageofarthropods.bsky.social
Photographer & PhD entomologist—inordinately fond of beetles! Research focus on darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae) systematics & biogeography, #TenebTuesday +Natural history collections/insect conservation/old (entomological) books & cameras
www.ccwirth.com
www.ccwirth.com
On this #tenebtuesday — a favorite teneb (& favorite photo of a heap of 'em), Neomida bicornis (Fabricius, 1777) [Diaperinae: Diaperini]? Their pronotal coloration is variable, from shining metallic green in some beetles to red in others, & the males have two tiny horns!
November 26, 2025 at 1:26 AM
On this #tenebtuesday — a favorite teneb (& favorite photo of a heap of 'em), Neomida bicornis (Fabricius, 1777) [Diaperinae: Diaperini]? Their pronotal coloration is variable, from shining metallic green in some beetles to red in others, & the males have two tiny horns!
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?
![A reddish-brown beetle specimen with moderately long antennae and two labels reading "Cin. O. / V-28-[?]" and "'Tenebrionidae / unknown' teste Horn"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:otjq5ndsne7q2nwyyh3bpjf4/bafkreigogjqflnoqg7gjrqogwigcgze7e5nkil54m5f67qkwxrghnk5iny@jpeg)
July 1, 2025 at 10:52 PM
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 !
June 26, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Found this cartoonish monstrosity of a specimen preparation while sorting through drawers of unidentified flies in @purdueentcoll.bsky.social !
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
![A pin bearing several strips of paper with beetles neatly glued to them and text reading “Cin. O. 6-12-[190]4”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:otjq5ndsne7q2nwyyh3bpjf4/bafkreibdwrft5hr6z5txvpm5xrassd6eo6ivwtgdvpehbrsdgcmre7lpmm@jpeg)
June 7, 2025 at 4:20 PM
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
June 4, 2025 at 12:25 AM
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.
May 14, 2025 at 6:06 PM
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
May 14, 2025 at 2:15 AM
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)
May 14, 2025 at 2:03 AM
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)
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)
April 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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.
March 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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!
March 19, 2025 at 9:56 PM
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
March 18, 2025 at 6:52 PM
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
March 14, 2025 at 5:54 PM
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!
March 12, 2025 at 2:22 AM
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)
February 26, 2025 at 3:15 AM
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!
February 19, 2025 at 4:35 AM
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!
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
February 12, 2025 at 3:07 AM
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
February 12, 2025 at 2:49 AM
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
February 5, 2025 at 2:50 AM
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
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!
January 29, 2025 at 4:59 PM
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
January 21, 2025 at 10:43 PM
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
January 15, 2025 at 2:26 AM
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
January 8, 2025 at 12:02 AM
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
December 31, 2024 at 7:09 PM
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