SCARABS Rich Cunningham William B. Warner Barney Streit 3889 Walnut Avenue 2338 W. Rockwell Court 1 Canton Road #4 Chino, CA 91710 Chandler, AZ 85224 N. Quincy, MA 02171 Occasional Issue Number 12 Kung ang amoy ay mabaho, sila ay darating July, 1995 site in early afternoon, and the A Simple Device for Extracting would not emerge for and Other Coleoptera several hours, I began sifting the sand at WITHIN THIS from Sand various locations and ecotones. The most productive of these was below Petalonyx ISSUE.... by Delbert LaRue thurberi (Sandpaper Plant) which was abundant. After about two hours of sift- Many rare and highly sought after Scara- ing, with several breaks in between, I had baeidae can only be collected from cryp- accumulated a nice series of Aegialia, tic habitats amid sand dunes or similiar Diplotaxis, Pseudocotalpa, and a myriad sand deposits by carefully working of “tenebes.” I spent the rest of the after- High Plains Sifter through samples of the substrate (for noon relaxing in the shade, catching up example Aegialia, Psammodius, and on recent literature. After all, I had the some species of Aphodius, to name a peace of mind knowing that if the Museum of Comparative Zoology few). Pseudocotalpa did not emerge (or if I “cunninghamed” and was at the wrong A classic method is to take a shovel of sand dunes), a little effort with my sifter Entomology Supplies sand, drop it into a bucket of water, and had provided a nice series of specimens. let the prevalent quarry float to the top. This is a good technique if you are col- WHAT YOU’LL NEED Notes on Southwestern Scarabaeidae lecting in riparian habitats where water is #1 readily accessable. But what if you are TOOLS: on the backside of a major dune mass in search of a new species of psammophil- Skill saw, hand saw, or table saw (either). Take the ous scarab? Water is not available, and who wants to lug a bucket of splashing Power drill with phillips screwdriver water, at eight pounds per gallon, over attachment (Yes, a hammer and nails will The Optima 800 Battery dunes? A convenient, lightweight device work, but wood screws are recom- that would enable you to sift through mended), and a sand effectively would be advantageous. Buffalo Dung—Not Taste Good? Hammer. I present below the construction of a sim- ple, yet useful tool to dry sift sand. (I MATERIALS: “Scarab” Redefined know, you’re probably saying to your- self: “Oh no, not another La Rue con- 8-foot length, pine 1 x 2 inch (“furring struction article.” This one is cheap, and strip” will work). Dung Sniffing easy. Trust me.) It consists of two sheets of different density common wire 84-inch length (seven feet), 1/2 x 3/4- screening attached to a rectangular inch pine (recommended, but optional). Phanaeus Revision wooden frame (Fig. 1). 1 piece 18 x 24-inch, 1/2-inch hardware I gave the “acid test” to this device a few cloth. More Efficient Inquiline Trapping years back at Big Dune, Nye County, Nevada. This is the type locality for 1 piece 18 x 24-inch, common aluminum Hardy which window screening (Do not use the space- Chitin Killer’s Calendar was my main object of endeavor. I was age plastic screening). also aware that other significant Scara- baeidae existed within the sand as well, “Handful” of #14 or #16, 1-1/2 inch phil- In the Next Issue... for example Aegialia magnifica Gordon lips head wood screws (or drywall screw & Cartwright. Since I had arrived at the equivalent). Figure 1.

Eyebolt and Washer

1” X 2” Wooden Frame

Screen Layer

Washer and Nut

Figure 2.

Page 2 “Handful” of 1-inch galvanized roofing the damp sand-dry sand interface. Arche- 2464. You may be asked if you are nails. ologists, paleontologists, etc., take this engaged in a research project, or for ref- method one step further. They suspend erences. Remember, use common sense. Wood glue. the sifting device from the center of a tri- If you say you know one of the editors, pod. The sifter described above could be you will no doubt be blacklisted for life! Medium-grit sandpaper. modified for this method by simply drill- Specimens of unusual aquatic ing holes and sinking eyebolts in each Coleoptera, Dr. Perkins’ specialty, would CONSTRUCTION. corner (Fig. 2). Using chain or rope, you surely be appreciated should you have could suspend the tool from a tripod or any. From the 1 x 2, cut two pieces 16 1/2- tree limb. inches long, and two pieces 24-inches If you are visiting and staying in the Bos- long; discard the scrap. Using wood Editor’s Note: A motorized sifter could ton area, by all means take the Red Line screws and plenty of glue, assemble a be easily constructed as follows: Sus- of the “T,” the local subway system. Get rectangular frame with the dimensions of pend the sifter as above, but attach an off at the Harvard (Square) stop and ask, 18 x 24 inches. (Remember, the “nomi- electric motor to the frame, which could “Where are the glass flowers.” Locals nal” size of the pine is one inch, but be run from a portable generator. will be able to easily direct you to the actual measurement is 3/4-inch). Attached to the shaft of the motor would Museum. Parking is by meter, with a be a heavy flywheel which is oblong in measely two-hour capacity per meter, Next, place the 18 x 24-inch piece of shape, or a circular flywheel with its axis and traffic can be difficult in the summer. window screening to the proper align- hole drilled off center. The building is actually on Oxford street, ment on the wooden frame; then the a ten minute walk from famous Harvard piece of 1/2-inch hardware cloth of the Square and the Harvard T-stop. When same dimensions on top of that. Make you arrive, enter the staff entrance to the sure both are centered around the perim- Museum of Comparative Zoology left of the public entrance. The public eter of the frame and attach with roofing entrance leads to a very nice museum nails every three or four inches. Any serious worker in Coleoptera is devoted to many phases of natural his- already famaliar with the Museum of tory, including an incredible collection of OPTIONAL: A wooden strip of about 1/ Comparative Zoology, located on the botanical specimens made from glass. 2 x 3/4-inches nailed on top of the beautiful campus of Harvard University. Admittance is $4 for adults. Once inside screen/hardware cloth around the perim- It is here that the Melsheimer, Henz, Fall, the staff entrance, go up the stairs to the eter of the frame will provide additional LeConte and Horn collections are fourth floor, check in with the staff, then support. Wood of these dimensions can housed. Probably a third or more of the go to room 407. be found in the moulding section of the type specimens of US scarabs can be lumber yard or home center; or you found in this one room. The Scarabaeidae are housed within 14 could use a 1 x 3, instead of the 1 x 2, and 25-Cornell drawer cabinets and two 12- rip a 1/2-inch or so from one side on a What is left of the Thomas Say collection drawer cabinets. The scarab portion of table saw. Remember to use lighter is also here. Most of the Say collection the Fall collection is to be found here, gauge nails, or drill pilot holes, so the was apparently destroyed in the early within the general collection. Special narrow, thin wood will not split. 1800’s, but types of the following scarab note to James Saulnier: there are 15 species (most full of dermestid skins) drawers of Aphodius! Nearby is the 44- The window screening is the primary survived: Canthon humectus, Onthopha- drawer “Beetlemania” collection which sifting layer with the heavier hardware gus incensus, Canthon viridicatus, is loaned out to various groups and insti- cloth merely a support. I chose 1/2-inch Copris incertus, Copris procidua (=fri- tutions for public viewing. It is an anno- hardware cloth so sand would readily cator), Anomala cincta, Anomala tated display of unusual and exotic pass through the sifter. gemella, Trox tuberculata, Trox capil- beetles of many families. laris and Trox scutellaris. Using medium-grit sandpaper, sand any Around the perimeter of the room are the rough splintered edges and that’s it. Because of the importance of these col- LeConte and Horn collections, housed in Really. lections, coupled with the fact that many 25 25-drawer cabinets. The scarabs alone type specimens are housed in the same take up 40 drawers, the Cerambycidae FIELD USE. drawers as the rest of the specimens, run 44 drawers. A key is supplied to makes the Museum very careful (ner- deceipher the colored-paper pieces The sifter is simple to use: lay the frame, vous) about whom they admit. found on the LeConte specimens. They nailed-side down, next to where you plan indicate geographic localities. The Say to excavate; with a hand trowel or spade It is imperative that you call or write and Melsheimer and Ziegler collections shovel, throw a fair amount of sand in the before you show up. Contact Dr. Phil are placed at the end of the LeConte and center (enough to where you will be Perkins, Department of Entomology, Horn collections. comfortable lifting the weight); agitate Museum of Comparative Zoology, Har- from side to side. Keep your fingers vard University, Cambridge, Massachu- Beyond the scarabs themselves, the crossed. Note that most beetles will be at setts 02138, or telephone (617) 495- MCZ is perhaps the single best spot in Page 3 the US for finding old and rare scarab lit- The Mason Box Company County, 31 miles SW of Tonopah, 29 erature. The MCZ library is two floors 521 Mt. Hope Street August l969, J.A. Gruwell collector, at below the collection and has literally P. O. Box 129 blacklight (California State College, tons of old journals and rare books in the North Attleboro MA 02761 Long Beach collection). The specimen “stacks.” The library staff is abnormally (508) 695-9381 agrees in all diagnostic respects to topo- courtious and helpfull, and photocopies Shipping boxes with wire loops fasten- typical material. Closer examination of are still only a nickle! You will have to ing the lids. consobrina specimens from northerly obtain a visitor pass from Dr. Perkins to localities (e.g., La Paz, Yuma and Mari- gain entry to the library, however. In copa Counties) may provide additional addition to the MCZ Library, the examples ofashleyae. room itself houses hundreds of shelf feet Notes on Southwestern U.S. of reprints on beetle systematics, includ- Scarabaeidae. # 1. Thanks to E.L. Sleeper (CSCLB) for the ing Fall’s personal reprint collection privilege of examining material under his which is hard bound into about seven By Delbert A. La Rue care. shelf feet of 2” thick volumes entitled Coleoptera of the US. This set has nearly This is the first in a series of brief infor- all the US scarab literature up to about mal notes concerning southwestern U.S. 1930. This one is worth visiting! Scarabaeidae. They are based upon field Take the Beetles data I have accumulated over several years. Hopefully, these notes will pro- (A Road Ditty, With Apologies to the vide additional knowledge toward under- Eagles and Jackson Browne) Entomology Supplies standing the bionomics and distributions of those species considered as well as to By Larry Bezark and Dave Russell The following are names and addresses encourage others to publish similar of supplies that may be of interest to information. Well we’re runnin’ down the road with a entomologists: Great Basin Toad Cotalpa ashleyae La Rue We’ve got seven beetles on our minds Lane Science Equipment Corporation One that’s called diffracta, three we 225 West 34th Street This species remains poorly represented haven’t found yet New York NY 10122 in collections and significant bionomic and that there damned ratcliffei (212) 563-0663 information is lacking. The type locality Maker of cabinets. (AZ., La Paz County, Junction of Inter- Take the beetles, take the beetles state 10 & Wickenburg Road, diesel don’t let the sound of your 350 drive you J. H. Dunning Corporation facilities) is located in an vast area of crazy North Walpole NH 03609-0510 Larrea (Creosote Bush) and has under- Light it up while you still can, we drove (603) 445-5591 gone several man-made alterations like hell to reach the sand Cornell drawers. including grading, demolition, partial so find a spot to place your stand, and Recticel Foam Corporation abandonment and public closure. take the beetles P. O. Box 0028 Whether these disturbances have nega- Le Roy NY 14482-0028 tively impacted the dynamics of the C. We were standin’ at a rest stop, Tuba City (716) 492-5372 ashleyae population has not been ascer- Arizona, such a sad sight to see Foam pinning material. tained. It’s a man named Rich in a Bronco Ford, slowin’ down so he can take a pee T. James Clarke At the type locality, adults emerge in 45-53 Norwood Avenue August after the area has received signif- Come on Richie, we’re gettin’ itchy Jamestown NY 14701 icant monsoonal precipitation (personal I gotta know if your new map is gonna (716) 487-1958 observation). Many of the mercury vapor save me Unit trays. lights that attract specimens are no longer in service or have been removed. We may lose or we may win, so throw the Ianni Butterfly Enterprises However, there are several dirt roads beetles in nitrogen Cleveland OH 44181 adjacent to the site that provide access to we need some more that we can pin (216) 888-2310 ecologically similar pristine habitat. So take the beetles (216) 888-9763 These areas should be investigated and pins. may prove to be far more productive for The Aerostar is packed, Dave and Larry this species. keepin’ track Morpho Ventures of seven thousand miles on their minds 175 Humphrey Street Data from a single example of C. ash- Using all their permits, the rangers are Marblehead MA 01945 leyae located within a unit tray of like hermits (617) 581-5904 Cotalpa consobrina Horn provides an they’re so oh hard to find Insect pins. eastward distribution: AZ., Yuma Page 4 Take the beetles, take the beetles There is a small herd of buffalo at the don’t let the sound of your 350 drive you Center, kept in a closed range since 1974. Malaysian Dung Sniffers crazy Mike and I examined probably 100 dung Pick them up fast as you can, cause you pads, which are present in numbers in By Bruce Gill (Skip’ in Ottawa, don’t wanna go there again open areas of the range. The dung is not Your Roving Reporter, with the glare, the sun and the wind loose like cow manure, but remains in a With a Nose in the News) so take the beetles small pile until it dries. We found no Come on Larry, it’s lookin’ scary of any kind in the dung. There A newspaper article I read recently notes I’ve got a feelin’ this new map is gonna were ants under some of the pads, but that drug addicts in Malaysia, hit by a fail me they were obviously not using the dung supply shortage of cannabis and heroin, for food. Further, there were no pads have discovered another way of getting fragmented by birds, which is usually the “high.” They wait for fresh cow dung and case in areas with many cow patties. quickly put a coconut shell over it, sniff- The Optima 800 Battery ing the gas through a hole in the top of This poses the questions, “Were there the shell. By Ron Alten any scarabs partial to buffalo dung in the days when there were huge herds in the It is hoped that a few dedicated individu- While “duffing” out Pleocoma australis Great Plains?” and then, if so, “What als (perhaps someone out there in the with Delbert LaRue on San Savaine happened to them when the buffalo were Land of the Fruit and Home of the Nut) Ridge of the San Gabriel Mountains of decimated?” If there were no scarabs might devise a method to disprove this southern California, we got into a schol- with this particular preference, it would hypothesis of “Cow Pie Highs” and arly discussion on the physics (and meta- seem that the Indians must have been up thereby lay to rest these vicious rumors physics) of storage batteries, especially to their - uh - breechcloths in buffalo poo. that soil the good name of our most cher- pertaining to the cold-weather collecting ished Coleoptera. habits of Pleocomaniacs. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has information on this sub- As an afterthought, if those Malaysian Old timers (those who have read Sacrabs ject. I can be reached at 7725 Trail Ridge cattle were snacking on poppies or some Ocassional Issue #1) may remember a Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76179. other sort of roadside weed, their... great little deep cycle battery that I rec- “digestive biscuits” may indeed have ommended to the editorial staff, who Ed. Question: Charlie, wouldn’t it be a more that just a heady aroma. Of course included it in their discussion of a porta- lot easier, simpler and faster to get out all this is mere supposition, but even if ble DC blacklight setup. there and just taste the stuff for yourself? substantiated, the noble They call ‘em buffalo chips don’t they? may remain innocent of all allegations. Now, there is a greater little battery, the Faced with the presence of contraband Optima™ 800 sealed commercial bat- piles, the simple possession of spiracles tery. This little guy measures 9 5/8” long, could ensure that they never inhaled! 6 3/4” wide and 7 13/16” high. It has up “Scarab” Redefined to four times the capacity of regular bat- (Ed. Note: We have absolutely no proof teries, has lower internal impedance By Brue Gill regarding the report that a delerious (which translates to exceptional low tem- Skippy was discovered in a cow pasture perature performance—down to -40˚ C.), The 1979 edition of Webster’s Dictio- with a coconut shell still stuck to his and discharges more slowly, which pro- nary contains a couple of baffling defini- nose, arrested and jailed by the Ottawa vides longer shelf life and more spare tions: Police Department.) power. The 800 in the name stands for 800 cold cranking amps, yet, it charges bee n. highest form of insect belonging to using the same settings as a conventional the order Hymenoptera. battery. scar·ab n. beetle regarded by ancient Phanaeus Revision... Finally! Egyptians as emblematic of solar power; gem cut in shape of this beetle Despite their popularity with collectors, the genus Phanaeus has been in need of Buffalo Dung—Not Taste Good? Now, though obiviously written by an a revision for quite some time. Though unabashed apiarist (albeit misguided specimens are not small in size, and the By Charlie Wolf entomologist), we all know that the true genus does not contain a huge number of “highest form of insect” and genuine species, the revision presented some For some time I have been intrigued by solution to our future energy needs, is of tricky systematic problems. the question of what species of scarabs, if course the scarab. Note that since any, were partial to buffalo dung. Last “scarab” is a multisyllabic word, it is We are happy to report that “Revision of summer, thanks to the kindness of Mike clearly superior to “bee.” Phanaeus Macleay, A New World Genus Griswold, a naturalist at the Ft. Worth of Scarabaeine Dung Beetles Nature Center, I was able to investigate. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Scara- Page 5 baeinae)” by W. D. Edmonds is now setting gopher traps, and then returning now retired from public service at the available. Each species and color varia- Sunday to set dung traps in burrows USNM and plans to finish up work on his tion is depicted in color. This revision is where gophers had been trapped during U. S. Aphodius revision, as well as other 105 pages in length, a result of many the night. Even when a rodent was projects at a more scenic local. You can years of exhaustive research, and a “must trapped out of the burrow, however, now reach him at: Dr. Robert Gordon, P. have” for all interested in Scarabaeidae. about three out of five traps would be O. Box 65, Willow City, ND 58384. buried when they were inspected the fol- It can be ordered from: Museum Book lowing Saturday. Shop, Natural HIstory Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Still, the occasional unburied trap, as Chitin Killer’s Calendar Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A. 90007, tele- well as some buried traps (via sifting and phone (213) 744-3434, for $30. Shipping floating out the beetles) yielded several For those readers who do not have access is $4, or 10% of the total for orders more Aphodius ruficlarus, one Aphodius luxa- to an almanac, Scarabs is proud to sup- than $40. California residents must tus Horn, and one specimen of a new (?) ply you with our 1995 Chitin Killer’s include 8.25% sales tax. American Aphodius near rubiginosus Horn. Calendar, the complete quide to “when” Express, Visa and MasterCard are Encouraged by collecting the latter two for this year’s collecting season. accepted. Ask for Contributions in Sci- species, we again started up the Satur- ence Number 443. day-Sunday routine this winter. Blowing The “begin” date is the night of the part of both weekend days rapidly month on when the moon rise begins It is our hope that Dave will not stop became a little cumbersome, however, after 10:00 p.m. (11:00 p.m. during day- here, and put his considerable knoweldge especially when so often another gopher light savings time periods and locations), and talent to work on related groups such would still bury the trap after one or yielding at least a couple hours of dark as Coprophanaeus and Sulcophanaeus. more gophers had already been trapped skies and good collecting. in the same burrow! The “end” date is the first night after the Finally, to protect the dung traps, I tried new moon when the moon set is 10:00 More Efficient Gopher Inquiline leaving gopher traps stuffed in the bur- p.m. or later. The moon on the “end” date Trapping row entrances to the hole in which the is at most 1/8 full. dung trap was set. The gopher traps did by William B. Warner not seem to impede the beetles at all, and Ultraviolet and mercury vapor lights will after a week of trying this, I bought more attact more scarabs during moonless Paul Skelly (see Scarabs #6) gave us an gopher traps and switched to once-a- periods, so any nights between the excellent treatise on the art of dung trap- week trips, setting more gopher traps and “begin” and “end” dates in the table ping for inquilines in pocket gopher dung traps at the same time. Surprisingly, below should provide good light trap- (Geomys) burrows. The basic method is dung traps in burrows with trapped ping, assuming other conditions such as to open a gopher burrow, trap out the gophers seem to actually catch more bee- moisture and temperature are in the cor- gopher, set a standard dung-baited pitfall tles! rect range. trap (see Scarabs #2) in the burrow run, cover the hole with a board and then The results of switching to the “both at cover the board with soil so that the “bur- once” method: long series of Aphodius row atmosphere” is left intact. Inquilines ruficlarus and A. luxatus, a good series of New Month Begin End are attracted to the dung odor (which pre- the A. “near rubiginosus,” several A. Moon sumably mimics a gopher dung cham- rudis, and a dozen specimens of yet July 15 27 31 ber) and are trapped in the pitfall just as another Aphodius (concavus or new spe- August 15 25 30 are surface generalist dung beetles in cies near), gobs of inquiline staphylinids, normal dung traps. long series of Onthophilus soltaui (a his- September 14 24 28 terid previously known from only two October 14 23 27 After several years of Paul’s encourage- specimens, collected in the Great Plains) November 12 22 25 ment (boy, is that word politically cor- and series of Geomysaprinus, another rect!) and my son’s constant begging to histerid genus. The inquiline Aphodius go collecting even though it was Thanks- are usually present even in gopher bur- giving, we finally set a few traps in Tho- row systems in urban yards and fields, so momys bottae gopher burrows near burrow trapping can provide our readers Phoenix last winter. The first few in “gopher country” with interesting year In the Next Issue... attempts consisted of only occasionally ‘round collecting, literally in their own catching a gopher, setting the dung traps back yards. In the “Tools for Fools” Section: The anyway and returning a week later to find Plague Scooper 2000™! Finally, an all the traps buried. After a while, this And, please remember to report your “in explanation of those strange words under changed to making a trip on Saturday to burrow” Aphodius captures to Bob “yes, Editor Bill’s name!! And more!!! check the previous week’s dung traps, aphodiines are cool” Gordon. Bob has Page 6