V1.0 A key to the Eleodes species of the United States and Canada OUTDATED

I decided to try and make a key to all of the Eleodes species found in the U.S. (or that can likely be found in the U.S.), It probably isn’t perfect, and if the result doesn’t look right, let me know! I did sometimes use the help of keys shown in papers about Eleodes, and I did even quote one small section relating to E. carbonaria. While this key does bring them down to subspecies level, I did not include a key to the subspecies of E. carbonaria. Thomas 2012 has one though. Finally I should mention that I did not even attempt to deal with Blapylis, as that subgenus is does not have much information for identification of its species, for my key, I only bring it to subgenus level when it comes to Blapylis.

1 Mesofemora and or metafemora dentate...2
1’ Mesofemora and metafemora never dentate...4
2 Elytral punctures strongly muricate...E. moesta
2’ Elytral punctures simple or slightly muricate...3
3 Pronotum widest anterior of middle, femoral spines large...E. armata
3’ Pronotum widest at middle, femoral spines small to medium sized...E. femorata
4 Body small pronotum generally cordate, elytra apex not attenuate or caudate, roughly sculptured, distributed across beaches, forests, and mountains...subgenus Blapylis
4’ Body small or large, pronotum usually not cordate, elytral apex attenuate, caudate or neither, roughly sculptured or not, widespread across all environments...5
5 Legs long with unproportionately small body, robust or not...6
5’ Legs long or short but with body fairly proportionate...22
6 Body generally slender, pronotal and elytral sculpturing simple (except in E. nigrina)...7
6’ Body, generally robust, pronotal and elytral sculpturing complex...18
7 Elytral sculpturing muricate or scabrous...E. nigrina
7’ Elytral sculpturing simple...8
8 Range only in Inyo White Mountains...9
8’ Range widespread...10
9 Profemora with large tooth, anterolateral angles blunt but projected...E. aalbui
9’ Profemora only sinuate, anterolateral angles slightly projected...E. microps
10 Range near Big Bend National Park and the Guadalupe Mountains...11
10’ Range in the Southwest United States excluding Texas...13
11 Range in Big Bend National Park...12
11’ Range in the Guadalupe Mountains...E. guadalupensis
12 Mentum with finger-like process, pronotum subquadrate, widest at middle...E. labialis
12’ Mentum without finger-like process, pronotum widest anterior to middle...E. easterlai
13 Range in the Mohave Desert of California, pronotum evenly arcuate...E. californica
13’ Range in Arizona, Utah, and Sonora...14
14 Range in the Sonoran desert...15
14’ Range in the Sky Islands and the Colorado Plateau...16
15 Short, red setae arising from elytral punctures...E. nevadensis
15’ No setae arising from elytral punctures...E. delicata
16 Body elongate, northern Arizona and southern Utah...17
16’ Body not elongate, Sky Islands in southeast Arizona...E. dissimilis
17 Strial punctures larger than punctures of intervals, restricted to the Grand Canyon...E. leptoscelis
17’ Strial punctures subequal to punctures of intervals, northern Arizona and southern Utah...E. wheeleri
18 Large tubercles present on Elytra...19
18’ Elytra without large tubercules...20
19 Range in Sierra Nevada region...E. granosa
19’ Range near the Four Corners...E. leechi
20 Pronotum evenly tuberculate, range in Oregon...E. spoliata
20’ Pronotum punctate, range widespread...21
21 Antennas robust, body generally more robust...E. hirsuta
21’ Antennas thin, body generally more slender...E. pilosa
22 Size small, covered in long setae, restricted to coastal California and the Baja peninsula, and the Sonoran desert...23
22’ Size small or large, usually glabrous, if with conspicuous setae then not found in coastal California, nor in the Baja peninsula or the Sonoran desert...28
23 Males with dentate profemora and elytra caudate, Sonoran desert...E. tribulus
23’ Males nor females ever caudate or attenuate, coastal California and the Baja peninsula...24
24 Third antennomere shortened...E. littoralis
24’ Third antennomere not shorted...25
25 Setae yellow or orange...26
25’ Setae grey or black...27
26 Setae yellow, body smaller, Baja peninsula...E. subdeplanata
26’ Setae orange, body larger, California and northern Baja peninsula...E. osculans
27 Body larger, Baja peninsula...E. ursus
27’ Body smaller, California and northern Baja peninsula...E. nigropilosa
28 Elytra caudate at least in males and extremely muricate, size large...29
28’ Elytra caudate or not but if muricate only slightly, size large or small...31
29 Only males caudate with profemora dentate, Tamaulipas...E. fiski
29’ Both males and females caudate with profemora never dentate, Four Corners and Sierra Nevada region...30
30 Elytra usually glabrous, rarely with long setae, Four Corners...E. caudifera
30’ Elytra always with long setae, Sierra Nevada region...E. longipilosa
31 Elytral sculpture very rough, elytra always attenuate but never caudate, restricted to California...32
31’ Elytral sculpture variable but if rough then elytra never attenuate, widespread...33
32 Luster shiny and elytral apex acutely attenuate...E. marginata
32’ Luster dull and elytral apex blunt yet still attenuate...E. scabricula (E. acutangula)
33 Body oval shaped, coated in minute setae, coastal Texas and Louisiana...E. veterator
33’ Body shape variable, if small and shaped slightly oval then not found in coastal Texas or Louisiana...34
34 Body small and fusiform...35
34’ Body small or large, shape variable...37
35 Body nearly oval, clothed with minute setae, Great Plains above Texas...E. opaca
35’ Elytra highly punctured and glabrous...36
36 Body more fusiform, central and southern Great Plains...E. fusiformis
36’ Body less fusiform, the Sierra Nevadas to the Rocky Mountains, and the Arizona Sky islands to British Colombia, northern Great Plains...E. extricata (in part)
37 Size medium to large, elytra usually inflated, wide, large, and rotund or occasionally flattened in E. striolata and some E. subnitens and E. madrensis, elytra only attenuate if also flattened, elytra never caudate...38
37’ Size variable but abdomen rarely inflated, if so, then size is usually small or the elytra are attenuate or caudate...41
38 Elytral striae composed of large conspicuous punctures...E. goryi
38’ Elytral striae without large punctures...39
39 Elytra flattened, always attenuate, south and central Texas...E. striolata
39’ Elytra sometimes flattened, if so then also attenuate, Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonora...40
40 Pronotum more or less parallel sided...E. subnitens
40’ Pronotum evenly arcuate...E. madrensis
41 Size large sometimes medium or small in rare occasions, but always with legs long, sometimes caudate...42
41’ Size usually small, sometimes medium, if so then legs short, never caudate...70
42 Body elongate, sometimes robust, profemora never dentate and never with caudate elytra, punctures always simple except in E. inornata where they are muricate...43
42’ Body fairly variable sometimes elongate, often robust, males almost always with dentate profemora, elytra sometimes caudate...47
43 Elytral punctures muricate, tiny inconspicuous setae arising from each one, western Nevada...E. inornata
43’ Elytral punctures simple, glabrous, widespread...44
44 Tarsi with grey spicules in the plantar groove, often with red line running down the length of the elytra, this line never diffuses into black...E. ornatipennis
44’ Tarsi without grey spicules in the plantar groove, if a red line is present along the elytra it diffuses into black...45
45 Profemora strongly sinuate, pronotum widest anterior of middle...E. hepburni
45’ Profemora simple, pronotum widest at middle...46
46 Pronotun wider than long, restricted to California...E. gigantea
46’ Pronotum as wide as long or longer than wide, widespread...E. longicollis
47 Probasitarsus widened ventrally at its apex...48
47’ Probasitarsus unmodified...53
48 Pronotum concave...E. suturalis
48’ Pronotum convex...49
49 Elytra with carina...E. acuta
49’ Elytra without carina...50 (E. obscura)
50 Elytra with striae...51
50’ Elytra without striae...52
51 Elytra deeply sulcate...E. obscura sulcipennis
51’ Elytra slightly sulcate...E. obscura obscura
52 Elytra with simple punctures...E. obscura glabrisulca
52’ Elytra with muricate punctures...E. obscura dispersa
53 Elytra with minutely hirsute intervals often coated with white debris and large glabrous costae, males are strongly caudate, legs long...E. mirabilis
53’ Elytra variable but without costae, caudate or not...54
54 Pronotum very wide, humeral angles of elytra obsolete, never attenuate...E. grandicollis
54 Pronotum variable, if wide, then elytral apex attenuate at least, humeral angles of elytra not obsolete...55
55 Restricted to California and the Baja peninsula, never having deep sulci...56
55’ Widespread, sometimes sulcate...62
56 Pronotum two times wider than the head...E. acuticauda
56’ Pronotum less then two times wider than the head...57
57 Pronotum more or less parallel sided, Mohave desert...58
57’ Pronotum not parallel sided, coastal and inland California…59
58 Tibia strongly curved, profemoral spines blunt, never caudate...E. subcylindrica
58’ Tibia not strongly curved, profemoral spines acute, males caudate...E. mexicana
59 Elytra with separation at its apex…E. discincta
59’ Elytra without separation at its apex…60
60 Pronotum larger, elytral striae less prominent…E. dentipes
60’ Pronotum smaller, elytral striae more prominent…61
61 Pronotum widest anterior of middle, luster more shiny, elytra with simple punctures, glabrous, southern California…E. gracilis distans
61’ Pronotum widest at middle, luster more dull, elytra with muricate punctures and conspicuous setae, Channel Islands…E. adumbrata
62 Elytra strongly sulcate…63
62’ Elytra not strongly sulcate…64
63 Pronotum widest anterior to middle…E. hispilabris
63’ Pronotum widest at middle…E. composita
64 Body flat, pronotum widest at middle or anterior of middle, if the former, elytral apex attenuate, if instead the latter, elytral apex not attenuate…E. knullorum
64’ Body usually not flat, pronotum widest anterior of middle, elytral apex more or less attenuate, caudate in some species…65
65 Elytra with muricate punctures…66
65’ Elytra with simple punctures…67
66 Punctures of elytra arranged in rows, elytral apex attenuate or caudate…E. tenuipes
66’ Punctures of elytra irregular, elytral apex only slightly attenuate…E. sponsa
67 Elytra inflated and strongly convex…68 (E. spinipes)
67’ Elytra not inflated…69
68 Elytra more or less parallel sided, western Texas to Arizona…E. spinipes macrura
68’ Elytra ventricose, southern Texas…E. spinipes ventricosa
69 Male metatibia sinuate, males caudate, females strongly attenuate, strial punctures not abnormally large…E. eschscholtzii eschscholtzii
69’ Metatibia not sinuate, elytral apex only slightly attenuate, striae composed of rows of large punctures…E. gracilis gracilis
70 Elytra with conspicuous setae…71
70’ Elytra glabrous, or only with short inconspicuous setae…74
71 Size larger, northern Arizona and southern Utah…E. halli
71’ Size smaller, generally around the Great Basin and the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado…72
72 Distributed only in the Great Sand Dunes National Park…E. hirtipennis
72’ Distributed around the Great Basin…73
73 Setae brownish…E. letcheri
73’ Setae yellowish…E. aspera
74 Elytra flat and widened, about the same width as pronotum, sides sometimes slightly rounded or with carina…75
74’ Sides of elytra rounded evenly, generally elongate or circular…79
75 Body covered with minute setae…E. tricostata
75’ Body glabrous…76
76 Elytral sculpturing rough, luster generally dull, striae vague to absent…E. neomexicana
76’ Elytra with clear striae, luster shiny…77
77 Elytra with deeply impressed striae…E. pedinoides
77’ Elytra with slightly impressed striae…78 (E. wenzeli)
78 Punctures of elytra fine but easily noticeable…E. wenzeli speculicollis
78’ Punctures of elytra extremely fine and minute…E. wenzeli wenzeli
79 Both elytra with at least three large smooth costae…E. parowana
79’ Either elytra without large costae…80
80 Body smaller, elytra with tubercules, papillae, or numerous, irregular, simple punctures, elytral sculpturing never with only muricate or scabrous punctures…81
80’ Body slightly larger, sometimes small, but without tubercules, papillae or numerous, irregular, simple punctures, elytral sculpturing can consist of only muricate or scabrous punctures…85
81 Elytra covered in irregular simple punctures, body usually robust, sometimes slender, vaguely fusiform, the Sierra Nevadas to the Rocky Mountains, and the Arizona Sky islands to British Colombia, northern Great Plains...E. extricata (continuation)
81’ Elytra with complex sculpturing, body robust or slender, Pacific coast…82
82 Thorax and abdomen fairly proportionate, elytra with papillae or with tubercules forming rugae, California…83
82’ Abdomen disproportionately large, elytra tuberculate at least laterally, Pacific coast…84
83 Elytra papillose…E. papillosa
83’ Elytra tuberculate with transverse rugae…E. corvina
84 Pronotum wider than long, arcuate…E. granulata
84’ Pronotum subquadrate and near parallel sided…E. subtuberculata
85 Outer protibial spur enlarged…E. debilis
85’ Outer protibial spur unmodified…86
86 Body small, robust, and without complex sculpturing, punctures minute, Pronotum evenly arcuate and only slightly smaller than abdomen…E. arcuata
86’ Body larger, robust or not, sculpturing variable, pronotum significantly smaller than abdomen…87
87 Longer protibial spur extending to almost to the third tarsomere…88
87’ Longer protibial spur extending only to apex of the first tarsomere…90
88 Elytral sculpturing very complex, abdomen large, and pronotum strongly arcuate, Pacific Northwest…E. humeralis
88’ Elytral sculpturing variable, punctures muricate, usually elongate, sometimes robust, pronotum evenly arcuate, Sierra Nevadas to the Rocky Mountains, and the Grand Canyon to Idaho…89 (E. rileyi)
89 Elytra shiny with prominent striae…E. rileyi reducta
89’ Elytra dull without very prominent striae…E. rileyi rileyi
90 “…longer protibial spur tapering from base to apex”…E. carbonaria (see Thomas 2012 for subspecies key)
90’ “…longer protibial spur parallel sided in basal half then tapering to a point at apex”…91
91 Elytral punctures irregular, San Francisco region…E. quadricollis
91’ Elytral punctures in organized in rows, southeast Arizona…E. anthracina

Posted on November 28, 2023 01:31 AM by eleodesthermopolis