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Trichoton sordidum
Trichoton sordidum is a small, flightless darkling beetle (Tenebrionidae) native to the Sonoran Desert borderlands of southern Arizona and northern Mexico. The species exhibits sophisticated behavioral thermoregulation, including photonegativity and temperature-dependent activity patterns. Under resource limitation or environmental stress, individuals form adhesive aggregations or physical clumps of 2–10 beetles as a threat evasion mechanism. Dispersal follows cohesive patterns consistent with Minimum Risk Distribution models.
darkling-beetle Sonoran-Desert thermoregulation aggregation-behavior flightless clumping dispersal Minimum-Risk-Distribution photonegative creosote-bush rocky-habitat behavioral-ecology arid-adapted crevice-dwelling seasonal-activity overwintering resource-limitation-response group-defense catalepsy agonistic-display cohesive-dispersal adhesive-aggregation thermal-stress-response creosote mesquite cactus thornscrub gravelly-soil bajada foothills Pima-County Catalina-Mountains Tucson Florence-Arizona Pinal-Mountains US-Mexico-borderlands subtropical-arid 305-mm-rainfall 40-lux-activity 18-28°C-optimal 28°C-mating mid-January-to-mid-February-overwintering mid-March-activity-onset equal-sex-ratio-groups two-stacks-to-ten-stacks elytra-overlap threat-evasion habitat-fragmentation-response rocky-crevices foundation-crevices under-rocks sparsely-vegetated no-turf no-grasses scattered-low-brush large-rock-accumulations semiarid arid-land-beetle behavioral-mechanism heat-avoidance light-avoidance humidity-regulation habitat-structure-regulation sophisticated-behavioral-regulation evolved-aggregation group-thermoregulation resource-clumping environmental-stress-response captive-behavioral-study field-behavioral-study LeConte-1851 Tenebrionidae Coleoptera Insecta Arthropoda Animalia GBIF-Mexico iNaturalist-100-observations Journal-of-Insect-Science student-research dispersal-ecology clumping-ecology aggregation-ecology arid-land-entomology desert-beetle-ecology behavioral-thermoregulation activity-temperature-range mating-temperature-threshold seasonal-phenology overwintering-phenology activity-cycle sleeping-behavior foraging-behavior mating-behavior cohesive-movement rapid-dispersal fragmented-environment-response limited-resource-response extreme-condition-response heat-tolerance light-tolerance creosote-bush-association mesquite-association cactus-association desert-thornscrub Sonoran-Desert-beetle Arizona-beetle Mexican-beetle borderlands-beetle 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