Burrow-associate
Guides
Geomysaprinus floridae
Equal-clawed Gopher Tortoise Hister Beetle, clown beetle
Geomysaprinus floridae is a species of clown beetle in the family Histeridae. It is known by the common name Equal-clawed Gopher Tortoise Hister Beetle, indicating a likely association with gopher tortoise burrows. The species was described by Horn in 1873 and occurs in North America, with records from Florida. Like other members of Histeridae, it belongs to a family of beetles commonly known as clown beetles or hister beetles, many of which are associated with decaying organic matter and animal burrows.
Philonthus gopheri
Gopher Tortoise Rove Beetle
Philonthus gopheri is a species of rove beetle (family Staphylinidae) described by Hubbard in 1894. It is commonly known as the Gopher Tortoise Rove Beetle due to its documented association with gopher tortoise burrows. The species is known from Florida, USA, and like other members of the genus Philonthus, it is likely predatory. Very few observations of this species exist in public databases.