Tegrodera erosa

LeConte, 1851

Species Guides

Tegrodera erosa erosa(Iron Cross Beetle)
Tegrodera erosa inornata

Tegrodera erosa is a blister beetle in the Meloidae, occurring in southern California and Baja California. It comprises two : the nominate form T. e. erosa in southern California and T. e. inornata distributed throughout much of Baja California. The is geographically isolated from its closest relative T. aloga by the arid Colorado Desert, and from T. latecincta by the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains. are large, colorful beetles that often occur in immense feeding and mating during late spring and early summer.

Die exotischen Käfer in Wort und Bild (1908) (20725518920) by Heyne, Alexander;

Taschenberg, Otto, 1854-1922. Used under a No restrictions license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Tegrodera erosa: //ˌtɛɡrəˈdɛrə ɛˈroʊsə//

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

Identification

Two are recognized: T. e. erosa (southern California) and T. e. inornata (Baja California). Distinguished from T. aloga by geographic separation and minor but consistent differences in anatomy. Separated from T. latecincta by mountain barriers and associated plant .

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Habitat

Dry valleys and hills of cismontane southern California and Baja California; associated with different plant than . The arid Colorado Desert separates it from T. aloga to the east.

Distribution

Southern California (nominate T. e. erosa) and throughout much of Baja California (subspecies T. e. inornata). Range extends from California south to Sinaloa according to some sources.

Seasonality

Late spring and early summer; primarily active during this period.

Diet

feed on Eriastrum (Polemoniaceae), a group of low herbaceous annuals. Also feeds readily on alfalfa where agriculture encroaches on natural lands.

Host Associations

Eriastrum - food plantImportant food source for ; -level association for all Tegrodera
alfalfa - food plantReadily fed upon where agriculture encroaches on natural lands

Life Cycle

First instar larva described and compared with T. aloga. Larval virtually unknown, but based on related , larvae likely feed on provisions and immatures of soil-nesting bees.

Behavior

occur in immense feeding and mating . Exhibits 'frightening attitude' when endangered: sudden elevation of exposing brilliant red abdominal intersegmental combined with rapid movement away from stimulus. Males and females occasionally follow one another in single file formation. Male courtship involves grasping female with his own and repeatedly pulling them into grooved depressions on his where stimulatory compounds are presumably exuded.

Tegrodera alogaSimilar large, colorful blister beetle; separated geographically by the arid Colorado Desert; ranges throughout much of the Sonoran Desert in western Arizona and northwestern Sonora
Tegrodera latecinctaClosest relative; found in Owens and Antelope valleys of California; separated by San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains