Acmaeodera carlota

Fall, 1931

Acmaeodera carlota is a small metallic wood-boring beetle in the Buprestidae, described by H.C. Fall in 1931 from specimens collected near Globe, Arizona. It belongs to the 'tubulus- group' within the , characterized by small size (<8 mm), black coloration with confused yellow maculations on the , and membership in the 'Truncatae' group (prosternal margin nearly straight). The species is poorly known due to limited collection records and inadequate original description, making identification difficult without comparison to determined specimens.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Acmaeodera carlota: //æk.meɪ.oʊˈdɛ.rə kɑrˈloʊ.tə//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Difficult to identify without comparison to determined specimens due to inadequate original description and lack of published images. Distinguished from in the tubulus- group by: flattened surface densely clothed with long, stiff, dark, suberect hairs; coarsely, contiguously punctate pronotum; and subrugose, slightly irregular elytral intervals. The species lacks a subapical crest on the last segment. Most similar to other members of the 'Truncatae' group, particularly the tubulus-species group (conoidea, neglecta, tubulus, ligulata, neoneglecta, opuntiae, parkeri, sabinae, starrae, thoracata), from which it is distinguished primarily by the combination of hair , pronotal punctation, and elytral texture.

Habitat

Associated with cactus blossoms and oak woodlands. Original specimens collected from cactus blossoms near Globe, Arizona. have been cut from wood of Quercus dumosa and collected from flowers in west-central Arizona. The northern Arizona specimen was collected near Page, just south of the Utah border.

Distribution

Known from Arizona, USA. Documented localities include: Globe (type locality, ~90 miles east of Phoenix), Sunflower (~60 miles northwest of Globe, Quercus dumosa), Wikieup (west-central Arizona), and Page (northern Arizona, ~200 miles north of previous records, near Utah border). Suspected to occur more broadly than current records indicate, possibly extending into southern Utah.

Seasonality

activity period not well documented. The northern Arizona specimen was collected from material submitted for identification during winter examination, suggesting earlier season collection. No specific period established in published literature.

Host Associations

Quercus dumosa - larval cut from wood
Cactus blossoms - feeding/associationType series collected from cactus blossoms

Similar Taxa

Acmaeodera tubulusWidespread eastern US member of same group; differs in distribution and specific elytral texture
Acmaeodera conoideaOriginal member of tubulus-group described before Fall's 1899 revision; differs in specific punctation and hair patterns
Acmaeodera neglectaOriginal member of tubulus-group; similar size and general appearance but differs in pronotal and elytral sculpturing
Acmaeodera ligulata, A. neoneglecta, A. opuntiae, A. parkeri, A. sabinae, A. starrae, A. thoracataSubsequently described members of tubulus- group, all limited to south-central and southwestern US, distinguished by combinations of punctation, hair , and elytral surface texture

More Details

Taxonomic challenges

The Acmaeodera contains 149 / in North America and badly needs modern revision. The last comprehensive revision by Fall was published in 1899, and most species including A. carlota were described afterward. No published images of A. carlota existed prior to the 2010 Beetles In The Bush blog post, and identification requires comparison with determined specimens or use of specialized keys based on original descriptions.

Collection history

The remained virtually unknown after its 1931 description until Westcott et al. (1979) reported additional specimens from Quercus dumosa and flowers near Wikieup. The 2010 record from Page, Arizona represents a significant range extension of nearly 200 miles north of previous localities.

Identification resources

A specialized key to the Acmaeodera tubulus- group has been developed by Ted C. MacRae based on original descriptions and examination of available material, though this has not been formally published in peer-reviewed literature.