Metriolagria formicicola
Darkling beetle at Majura, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Metriolagria formicicola | KimPullen | 3 Feb 2017 | |
| Metriolagria formicicola | KimPullen | 3 Feb 2017 | |
| Ecnolagria grandis | HarveyPerkins | 3 Feb 2017 |
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5 comments
4 Feb 2017
Compared to Ecnolagria grandis, Metriolagria formicicola has a narrower and darker body, with a metallic sheen.
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.
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!
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!
4 Feb 2017
Thanks Kim - the history and nomenclature of these things can sometimes be as interesting as the insects themselves.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.174708-35.276064
- Maps Mount Ainslie
- Places Majura, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 19 Jan 2017 01:07 PM Recorded on
- HarveyPerkins Recorded by
- 5mm to 12mm Animal size
Collections
- HarveyPerkins Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) Beetles (Coleoptera) Insects Metriolagria formicicola
Species information
- Metriolagria formicicola Scientific name
- Darkling beetle Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 809m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
4 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Additional attributes
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description