Ptilophorus wrightii

(LeConte, 1868)

Engineered wedge-shaped Beetle

Ptilophorus wrightii is a wedge-shaped beetle in the Ripiphoridae, first described by LeConte in 1868. The was historically known from the southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) and Mexico, with first records from Colorado and Oklahoma documented in 2014. The specific epithet honors General W.W. Wright, Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific Railway survey during which the species was collected.

Ptilophorus wrightii by (c) Tom Kennedy, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tom Kennedy. Used under a CC-BY license.Ptilophorus wrightii, USA, TX, Jeff Davis Co., Limpia Canyon, 1994.09.25 (37037039895) by Vahe Martirosyan from Glendale, CA, USA. Used under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Ptilophorus wrightii: /təˈlɒfərəs ˈraɪti.aɪ/

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Identification

Distinguished from other Ripiphoridae by the divided : two lobes connected by a slender line of smooth, non-faceted corneous . Females have much less compared to males. The has full-length covering the , unlike many ripiphorids with abbreviated elytra.

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Distribution

Colorado, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. First records from Colorado and Oklahoma were published in 2014; previously known only from more southwestern localities.

Behavior

Females have been observed ovipositing on dead branches of eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica). During oviposition, females hold their outstretched in a manner not previously documented in beetles.

Similar Taxa

  • Toposcopus wrightiiBoth share the specific epithet 'wrightii' and occur in similar southwestern ; however, Toposcopus wrightii belongs to a different within Ripiphoridae and also exhibits divided , requiring careful examination of antennal and body proportions for separation.

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