Metriolagria formicicola

Darkling beetle at Majura, ACT

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Identification history

Metriolagria formicicola	3 Feb 2017	KimPullen
Metriolagria formicicola	3 Feb 2017	KimPullen
Ecnolagria grandis	3 Feb 2017	HarveyPerkins

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5 comments

KimPullen wrote:

4 Feb 2017

Compared to Ecnolagria grandis, Metriolagria formicicola has a narrower and darker body, with a metallic sheen.

HarveyPerkins wrote:

4 Feb 2017

Thanks Kim. Last time I looked I thought these were all just Lagria in their own family, Lagriidae! Was a while ago.

HarveyPerkins wrote:

4 Feb 2017

So Kim, here's (2nd photo) the same individual but with a couple of Iridomyrmex, but they certainly didn't seem to get along very well!

KimPullen wrote:

4 Feb 2017

I don't know what's behind the 'formicicola' name, Harvey. I haven't noticed them being fond of ants, or ants of them. As for 'Lagriidae' vs Tenebrionidae, they were separate for more than a century until someone found that larvae of the former were practically indistinguishable from those of Australian Adelium, which have always been considered Tenebrionidae. Then they had a good look at the adults and found they weren't too different either!

HarveyPerkins wrote:

4 Feb 2017

Thanks Kim - the history and nomenclature of these things can sometimes be as interesting as the insects themselves.

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Location information

Sighting information

1 Abundance
19 Jan 2017 01:07 PM Recorded on
HarveyPerkins Recorded by
Collections
Insects Beetles (Coleoptera) Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) HarveyPerkins Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr

Additional information

5mm to 12mm Animal size

Species information

Metriolagria formicicola Scientific name
Darkling beetle Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 809m Recorded at altitude
Machine learning
External link More information

Record quality

Images or audio
More than one media file
Verified by an expert moderator
Nearby sighting(s) of same species
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Additional attributes