General Question

sandalman's avatar

What species of beetle is this?

Asked by sandalman (428points) November 17th, 2010

Do you guys know what species this beetle is?
http://imgur.com/Qwccb.jpg

When I was a teenager, these little buggers used to fly into my room every once in a while, only to come to rest on my table. I think it’s the light that attracts them. These small beetles are about the size of one end of a cottonbud. They’re actually fine with things if I decide to use my index finger to pat or stroke them.

It’d be nice though, if I knew exactly what species they are. After a long hiatus, one of them has flown into my room and come to rest on my sleeve. The only difference is that the ones I saw during my teenage years were olive-brown in colour, and this one is dark brown instead. Do any of you guys know what sort of creature they are? It might help to know that I live in Southeast Asia, near the equator.

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6 Answers

syz's avatar

I’m pretty sure it’s a ground beetle (Carabidae), but I haven’t managed to find an exact fit yet.

Huh. Or not. Is this similar to the lighter colored version that you mention?

I also found this site.

YoBob's avatar

Sorry, I don’t know the species, but around here we call them “June Bugs”.

sandalman's avatar

@syz Yeah, the colour of the beetle on the first link that you gave sure looks a lot like the ones that I used to see many years ago. Thanks for the links!

gondwanalon's avatar

I think that you have a Scarab Beetle ( Family Scarabaeidae) mainly because it has clubbed (lamellate) antennae. This family contains about 1280 North American species so it may not be easy to determine the exact species of your beetle. A field guide to N.American Coleoptera and at least a 10X hand lens will get you in the right direction to achieve the answer to you question. Good luck.

(Species of the Carabidae family have long thin antennae.)

sandalman's avatar

(http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_scarabs/Dynastinae.htm)

@gondwanalon: From a bit of searching on Scarab beetles, I’ve got to admit that the Dynastine Beetle sure looks a lot like the one that landed on my sleeve a few nights ago . Funny thing is, I don’t see any antennae, but maybe that’s just poor photography. In any case, thanks for replying!

scarabaphile's avatar

Perhaps Phyllophaga, but I don’t know asian fauna. Definitely scarab. And no, they’re different
from june bugs.

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