Field Guide to Beetles of California

About this book

With perhaps 8,000 different species, beetles are easily the largest group of animals in California and can be found virtually everywhere in the state. They grapple over flower heads, lurk in pantries, paddle through pristine mountain streams, amble over dunes, and buzz about porch lights on warm evenings. But until now, there was no single resource for identifying the most commonly encountered beetles in California's mountains, valleys, and deserts. This valuable field guide, a companion volume to Introduction to California Beetles published in 2004, identifies more than 500 of the state's more conspicuous and colorful species, with the majority presented in stunning color photographs. Written and designed for amateur naturalists, students, and field biologists, it is chock-full of what every beetle watcher wants to know, including suggestions for finding beetles, starting a beetle collection, and keeping beetles in captivity. The informative, accessibly written species accounts include information on beetle identification, natural history, and distribution. Covers 569 species in 56 families.

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Illustrated Key to Families of California Beetles

FAMILY ACCOUNTS
Reticulated Beetles (Cupedidae)
Wrinkled Bark Beetles (Rhysodidae)
Ground Beetles and Tiger Beetles (Carabidae)
Whirligig Beetles (Gyrinidae)
Crawling Water Beetles (Haliplidae)
Trout-stream Beetles (Amphizoidae)
Predaceous Diving Beetles (Dytiscidae)
Water Scavenger Beetles (Hydrophilidae)
Clown Beetles (Histeridae)
Primitive Carrion Beetles (Agyrtidae)
Carrion Beetles (Silphidae)
Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae)
Stag Beetles (Lucanidae)
Hide Beetles (Trogidae)
Rain Beetles (Pleocomidae)
Earth-boring Scarab Beetles (Geotrupidae)
Bumblebee Scarab Beetles (Glaphyridae)
Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae)
Soft-bodied Plant Beetles (Dascillidae)
Cedar Beetles or Cicada Parasite Beetles (Rhipiceridae)
Schizopodid Beetles or False Jewel Beetles (Schizopodidae)
Metallic Wood-boring Beetles or Jewel Beetles (Buprestidae)
Riffle Beetles (Elmidae)
Long-toed Water Beetles (Dryopidae)
Variegated Mud-loving Beetles (Heteroceridae)
Water Penny Beetles (Psephenidae)
False Click Beetles (Eucnemidae)
Click Beetles (Elateridae)
Net-winged Beetles (Lycidae)
Glowworms (Phengodidae)
Fireflies and Glowworms (Lampyridae)
Soldier Beetles (Cantharidae)
Skin Beetles (Dermestidae)
Bostrichid Beetles (Bostrichidae)
Deathwatch Beetles and Spider Beetles (Anobiidae)
Bark-gnawing Beetles (Trogossitidae)
Checkered Beetles (Cleridae)
Soft-winged Flower Beetles (Melyridae)
Sap Beetles (Nitidulidae)
Silvanid Flat Bark Beetles (Silvanidae)
Flat Bark Beetles (Cucujidae)
Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Erotylidae)
Bothriderid Beetles (Bothrideridae)
Handsome Fungus Beetles (Endomychidae)
Lady Beetles (Coccinellidae)
Tumbling Flower Beetles (Mordellidae)
Ripiphorid Beetles (Ripiphoridae)
Zopherid Beetles (Zopheridae)
Darkling Beetles (Tenebrionidae)
False Blister Beetles (Oedemeridae)
Blister Beetles (Meloidae)
Antlike Flower Beetles (Anthicidae)
Longhorn Beetles (Cerambycidae)
Leaf Beetles and Seed Beetles (Chrysomelidae)
Leaf-rolling Weevils (Attelabidae)
Weevils or Snout Beetles (Curculionidae)

Checklist of North American Beetle Families
California’s Sensitive Beetles
Collections, Societies, and Other Resources
Glossary
Selected General References
Art Credits
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Arthur V. Evans is Research Associate in the Department of Entomology at the National Museum of Natural History, at the Smithsonian Institution, and in the Department of Recent Invertebrates at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. He is coauthor, with Charles L. Bellamy, of An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles (2000).

James N. Hogue is Manager of Biological Collections in the Department of Biology at California State University, Northridge, and Research Associate at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Together, Arthur and James wrote Introduction to California Beetles (2004).