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Euryurus leachii
Leach's millipede, Log Lurker
Euryurus leachii is a flat-backed millipede in the family Euryuridae, commonly known as Leach's millipede or the Log Lurker. It is endemic to North America and is frequently encountered in forested habitats, particularly in association with decaying wood. The species has been studied for its thermal physiology, showing a critical thermal maximum of approximately 40.5°C with seasonal plasticity in heat tolerance.
millipede detritivore forest decaying-wood thermal-physiology seasonal-plasticity Nearctic
Photinus ignitus
Ignited Firefly
Photinus ignitus is a North American firefly species distinguished by its bioluminescent courtship displays. Males produce characteristic flash patterns to attract females, who respond from perches in vegetation. Research has documented seasonal plasticity in female mate choice behavior, with females becoming less selective as the breeding season progresses. Like other Photinus species, it produces defensive compounds called lucibufagins that protect against predators.
firefly bioluminescence mate-choice seasonal-plasticity nuptial-gift aggressive-mimicry Lampyridae Coleoptera North-America flash-communication lucibufagin sexual-selection operational-sex-ratio cold-light photocytes luciferin luciferase nocturnal courtship predation-defense insect-decline light-pollution habitat-loss insecticide-exposure soil-dwelling-larvae glowworm predatory-larvae soft-bodied-prey snails slugs worms soil-insects biological-control flash-pattern female-choice male-choice body-size lantern-size reproductive-investment egg-provisioning spermatophore flash-signal mating-success selectivity breeding-season dusk night vegetation grass lawns forests fields edges canopy airspace Columbia-Maryland Washington-Baltimore-area University-of-Virginia-study light-pollution-impact mating-disruption urbanization residual-insecticides lawn-treatment weather-cycles food-availability larval-predation population-fluctuation banner-year spectacle July-4th Independence-Day Mother-Nature's-fireworks pyrotechnic twinkling galaxy cold-light-efficiency no-heat-production photocyte-cells specialized-light-organ terminal-abdominal-segments lightly-colored giant-eyes flash-detection visual-acuity nocturnal-vision chemical-ecology defensive-chemistry steroidal-pyrones toad-toxins spider-repellent bird-repellent femme-fatale predatory-exploitation chemical-acquisition defense-sequestration nuptial-feeding reproductive-success sexual-conflict flash-manipulation photographic-challenge flash-recharge female-contortion flash-directionality aimed-signal male-expendability female-investment offspring-production battery-life conservation-concern population-monitoring citizen-science Boston-Museum-of-Science firefly-data-project Allegheny-National-Forest synchronous-fireflies Photinus-carolinus Photuris-pennsylvanica Pennsylvania-Firefly-Festival FIRE-Team Lynn-Faust Sara-Lewis Thomas-Eisner Aerial-Firebaugh Kyle-Haynes chemical-ecology-pioneer experimental-study field-observation natural-history behavioral-ecology ethology journal-article peer-reviewed-research scientific-investigation insect-conservation nocturnal-insect beetle soft-winged-beetle not-true-bug not-fly Elateroidea Polyphaga Elateriformia Lampyrinae Lucidotini accepted-name Fall-1927 36-observations iNaturalist GBIF Catalogue-of-Life NCBI Wikipedia Bug-of-the-Week Entomology-Today incomplete-information data-limited research-opportunity further-study-needed
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 elevation-600-730m rocky-hill-beetle gravelly-soil-beetle bajada-beetle foothill-beetle crevice-beetle foundation-beetle rock-dwelling-beetle arid-habitat-specialist behavioral-specialist aggregation-specialist clumping-specialist thermoregulation-specialist dispersal-specialist Minimum-Risk-Distribution-model physical-clumping group-clumping stacking-behavior elytra-stacking overlapping-elytra group-size-2-10 sex-ratio-equal five-male-five-female-groups cataleptic-behavior agonistic-behavior display-behavior threat-response-behavior evasion-behavior defense-behavior group-defense-behavior coordinated-behavior sophisticated-behavior evolved-behavior behavioral-adaptation arid-adaptation desert-adaptation thermal-adaptation light-adaptation habitat-adaptation resource-limitation-adaptation fragmentation-adaptation environmental-stress-adaptation behavioral-plasticity aggregation-plasticity clumping-plasticity dispersal-plasticity activity-plasticity seasonal-plasticity phenological-plasticity behavioral-ecology-study dispersal-study clumping-study aggregation-study thermoregulation-study activity-study mating-study overwintering-study habitat-study distribution-study elevation-study rocky-habitat-study crevice-habitat-study foundation-habitat-study Sonoran-Desert-study Arizona-study borderlands-study arid-land-study desert-study student-paper research-paper scientific-publication entomology coleopterology tenebrionidology desert-entomology behavioral-entomology ecological-entomology dispersal-entomology aggregation-entomology thermoregulation-entomology phenology-entomology habitat-entomology distribution-entomology elevation-entomology rocky-entomology crevice-entomology foundation-entomology borderlands-entomology US-Mexico-entomology subtropical-entomology arid-entomology beetle tenebrionid Trichoton sordidum Trichoton-sordidum small-beetle flightless-beetle rocky-beetle desert-beetle arid-beetle Sonoran-beetle creosote-beetle mesquite-beetle cactus-beetle thornscrub-beetle rock-beetle clumping-beetle aggregating-beetle dispersing-beetle thermoregulating-beetle photonegative-beetle overwintering-beetle mating-beetle foraging-beetle sleeping-beetle active-beetle high-temperature-beetle light-avoiding-beetle humidity-regulating-beetle habitat-structure-regulating-beetle resource-limited-beetle fragmented-environment-beetle stressed-environment-beetle evolved-beetle sophisticated-beetle behavioral-beetle ecological-beetle decomposer-beetle leaf-debris-beetle captive-beetle field-beetle studied-beetle observed-beetle recorded-beetle GBIF-beetle iNaturalist-beetle Journal-of-Insect-Science-beetle student-research-beetle dispersal-pattern-beetle clumping-behavior-beetle aggregation-pattern-beetle thermoregulation-pattern-beetle activity-pattern-beetle mating-pattern-beetle overwintering-pattern-beetle habitat-pattern-beetle distribution-pattern-beetle elevation-pattern-beetle rocky-pattern-beetle crevice-pattern-beetle foundation-pattern-beetle Sonoran-pattern-beetle Arizona-pattern-beetle borderlands-pattern-beetle arid-pattern-beetle desert-pattern-beetle behavioral-pattern-beetle ecological-pattern-beetle Minimum-Risk-Distribution-beetle adhesive-aggregation-beetle physical-clump-beetle group-clump-beetle stack-beetle elytra-overlap-beetle group-size-beetle sex-ratio-beetle equal-sex-ratio-beetle catalepsy-beetle agonistic-display-beetle threat-evasion-beetle defense-beetle group-defense-beetle coordinated-beetle adapted-beetle arid-adapted-beetle desert-adapted-beetle thermally-adapted-beetle light-adapted-beetle habitat-adapted-beetle resource-adapted-beetle fragmentation-adapted-beetle stress-adapted-beetle plastic-beetle aggregation-plastic-beetle clumping-plastic-beetle dispersal-plastic-beetle activity-plastic-beetle seasonal-plastic-beetle phenological-plastic-beetle behavioral-ecology-beetle dispersal-ecology-beetle clumping-ecology-beetle aggregation-ecology-beetle thermoregulation-ecology-beetle activity-ecology-beetle mating-ecology-beetle overwintering-ecology-beetle habitat-ecology-beetle distribution-ecology-beetle elevation-ecology-beetle rocky-ecology-beetle crevice-ecology-beetle foundation-ecology-beetle Sonoran-ecology-beetle Arizona-ecology-beetle borderlands-ecology-beetle arid-ecology-beetle desert-ecology-beetle student-paper-beetle research-paper-beetle scientific-publication-beetle entomology-beetle coleopterology-beetle tenebrionidology-beetle arid-land-entomology-beetle desert-entomology-beetle behavioral-entomology-beetle ecological-entomology-beetle dispersal-entomology-beetle aggregation-entomology-beetle thermoregulation-entomology-beetle phenology-entomology-beetle habitat-entomology-beetle distribution-entomology-beetle elevation-entomology-beetle rocky-entomology-beetle crevice-entomology-beetle foundation-entomology-beetle borderlands-entomology-beetle US-Mexico-entomology-beetle subtropical-entomology-beetle arid-entomology-beetle