Sinodendron rugosum
Male Sinodendron rugosum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Family:
Lucanidae
Subfamily:
Syndesinae
Genus:
Sinodendron
Species:
S. rugosum
Binomial name
Sinodendron rugosum
(Mannerheim, 1843)

Sinodendron rugosum is a species of the family Lucanidae, the stag beetles. It is commonly referred to as the rugose stag beetle, and is the only known member of the genus Sinodendron to occur in western North America.

Description

The adults of this species exhibit sexual dimorphism, a common trait in Lucanidae, as well as unopposable clubbed antennae. Both sexes are 11–18 millimetres (0.43–0.71 in) in length, black in coloration, and have small mandibles. The pronotum and elytra are covered in many small pits, leading to an overall rugose appearance. The head of the male is much narrower than the pronotum, and has a short, median rhinoceros-like horn. The female either lacks a horn or has a small median tubercle.[1][2]

Range

Sinodendron rugosum is found in moist woodlands from British Columbia to California.[3] Adults are commonly found on the ground from spring to early summer.[2]

Life history

The white, C-shaped larvae hatch on bark and tunnel inward, creating pupal chambers in decaying wood.[3] They have been associated with oak, alder, willow and cherry.[4] Adults may feed on plant juices or aphid honeydew.[3] The horn of the male is occasionally used in combat with other males in order to establish dominance when competing for mates.[1]

Predators

Sinodendron rugosum has been identified as one of many species eaten by the Northern Spotted Owl Strix occidentalis.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 B. C. Ratcliffe (2002). "23. Lucanidae Latreille 1804". In R. H. Arnett; M. Thomas; P. E. Skelley; J. H. Frank (eds.). American Beetles, Volume 2. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. pp. 6–9. ISBN 0-8493-0954-9.
  2. 1 2 Peter Haggard & Judy Haggard (2006). Insects of the Pacific Northwest. Portland, OR: Timber Press. ISBN 0-88192-689-2.
  3. 1 2 3 Nicholas W. Griffin. "Rugose Stag Beetle (Sinodendron rugosum)". A Field Guide to the Fauna of the Johnston Wilderness Campus, Umatilla County, Oregon. Whitman College. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
  4. ↑ Dorothy McKey-Fender (1948). "Distribution in certain Lucanidae". The Coleopterists Bulletin. 2 (5): 43–44. JSTOR 3998776.
  5. ↑ Eric Forsman (1976). A Preliminary Investigation of the Spotted Owl in Oregon (PDF) (M.Sc. thesis). Oregon State University. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
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