Helops rufipes
(LeConte, 1851)
Helops rufipes is a darkling beetle in the Tenebrionidae, first described by LeConte in 1851. The epithet "rufipes" refers to its reddish legs. As a member of the Helops, it belongs to a group of darkling beetles that can be challenging to distinguish from ground beetles (Carabidae) due to superficial similarities. The genus Helops includes species that exhibit resembling those of ground beetles, with segments longer than wide, unlike the bead-like antennae typical of many other darkling beetles.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Helops rufipes: //ˈhɛl.ɒps ˈruː.fɪˌpiːz//
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Images
Similar Taxa
- Carabidae (ground beetles)Helops possess with segments longer than wide, superficially resembling ground beetles. However, Helops rufipes has concealed beneath the (unlike the exposed, forward-directed mandibles of carabids), lacks the rapid running characteristic of ground beetles, and does not exhibit the predatory of carabids.
- Other Helops speciesSpecific distinguishing characters for H. rufipes from are not documented in available sources; identification likely requires examination of male genitalia and other subtle morphological features.
Sources and further reading
- BugGuide
- GBIF taxonomy match
- Vanquished vanishing columbines: Columbine sawfly, Pristiphora rufipes — Bug of the Week
- Bug Eric: ID Tip: Ground Beetle or Darkling Beetle?
- Cicindelidae | Beetles In The Bush | Page 7
- Fungus Manipulates Ants to Die Near their Nests, Ensuring New Hosts
- Bug Eric: More Beetles from Bones
- Working with Cerceris fumipennis—Part 2 | Beetles In The Bush