Texas Beetle Information

Return to Texas Entomology - Compiled by Mike Quinn

Beetles of Monahans Sandhills Texas

Many of these species are psammophilous or sand adapted.
Some are endemic to the region.
Most were photographed or collected in Ward County.
Specimens curated in the University of Texas Insect Collection (UTIC)
Thumbnails link to BugGuide.Net

Carabidae - Ground Beetles

Ellipsoptera lepida Dejean - Ellipsoptera lepida Cicindela lemniscata rebaptisata Vaurie - Cicindela lemniscata Rhadine sp. - Rhadine

Lucanidae - Stag Beetles

Nicagus occultus Paulsen & Smith - Nicagus occultus - male Nicagus occultus Paulsen & Smith - Nicagus occultus - female

Glaresidae - Enigmatic Scarab Beetles

Glaresis sp. - Glaresis medialis Glaresis sp. - Glaresis medialis

Geotrupidae - Earth-Boring Dung Beetles

Bradycinetulus fossatus (Haldeman) - Bradycinetulus fossatus Bradycinetulus fossatus (Haldeman) - Bradycinetulus fossatus Bradycinetulus fossatus (Haldeman) - Bradycinetulus fossatus

Ochodaeidae - Sand-loving Scarab Beetles

Ochodaeus sp. Ochodaeus sp.

Scarabaeidae - Scarab Beetles

Polyphylla pottsorum Hardy - Polyphylla pottsorum - male Polyphylla pottsorum Hardy - Polyphylla pottsorum - male Polyphylla pottsorum Hardy - Polyphylla pottsorum - male Polyphylla monahansensis Hardy - Polyphylla monahansensis - male Polyphylla monahansensis Hardy - Polyphylla monahansensis - male Polyphylla monahansensis Hardy - Polyphylla monahansensis - male Stephanucha pilipennis Kraatz - Euphoria pilipennis   Hide Beetle - Omorgus

Elateridae - Click Beetles

sand dune elateridae - Agrypnus rectangularis

Tenebrionidae - Darkling Beetles

Embaphion - Embaphion muricatum=Embaphion - Embaphion muricatum=Embaphion - Embaphion muricatum Eusattus - Eusattus muricatus Another Eleodes - EleodesMating Eleodes - Eleodes Eleodes tricostatus (Say) - Eleodes tricostata

Meloidae - Blister Beetles


 Eupompha viridis (Horn) - Eupompha viridis

Cerambycidae - Longhorned Beetles

Tetraopes pilosus Chemsak - Tetraopes pilosus Aethecerinus latecinctus (Horn) - Aethecerinus latecinctus Stenaspis solitaria (Say) - Stenaspis solitariaCrossidius suturalis LeConte - Crossidius suturalis Batyle suturalis cylindrella Casey - Batyle suturalis  

Prionus spinipennis Hovore & Turnbow - Prionus spinipennis - male=Prionus spinipennis Hovore & Turnbow - Prionus spinipennis - female Prionus arenarius Hovore - Prionus arenarius - male Mallodon dasystomus (Say) - Mallodon dasystomus

Chrysomelidae - Leaf Beetles

Monahans Sandhill Chrysomelid - Graphops comosa Which Calligrapha? - Zygogramma heterothecae Zygogramma tortuosa (Rogers) - Zygogramma tortuosa 

Curculionidae - Weevils

Trigonoscutoides texanus O'Brien - Trigonoscutoides texanus Ophryastes tuberosus LeConte - Ophryastes tuberosus Ophryastes tuberosus LeConte - Ophryastes tuberosus

Description of region, plus list of endemic species per Paulsen & Smith (2005)

The Monahans Sandhills is a belt of active and vegetated dunes approximately 110 km long and 32 km wide on the Pecos Plain running from extreme southeastern New Mexico to Crane County, Texas, in the south. The sandhills are a recent geologic feature formed within the last 12,000 years as the region became more arid (currently ~30 cm/yr precipitation) and windblown sands accumulated (Machenberg 1984). Monahans Sandhills State Park is situated near the middle of the dunes system in Winkler and Ward counties, Texas. Though the sandhills are relatively young, they are home to a variety of endemic psammophilous (sand-loving) plants and animals.

Beetles endemic to the Monahans Sandhills region include:

Lucanidae

Nicagus occultus Paulsen and Smith - INFO

Scarabaeidae

Polyphylla monahansensis Hardy - INFO
Polyphylla pottsorum Hardy - INFO
Anomala suavis Potts - INFO

Cerambycidae

Prionus arenarius Hovore - INFO
Prionus spinipennis Hovore and Turnbow - INFO

Curculionidae

Trigonoscutoides texanus O’Brien - INFO

Note: Collecting insects in Monahans Sandhills State Park requires a permit.
Bibliography:

Hardy, A.R. & F.G. Andrews. 1978. Studies in the Coleoptera of western sand dunes. 1. Five new species of Polyphylla Harris. The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 54(l): l-8.

Hovore, F.T.  1981.  Two new species of Prionus (Homaesthesis) from the southwestern United States, with notes on other species.  The Coleopterists Bulletin 35(4): 453-457.

Hovore, F.T. & R.H. Turnbow, Jr. 1984. A new species of Prionus (Homaesthesis) from the Monahan Sandhills of western Texas. Entomol. News, 95(1): 1-4, 4 figs.

Machenberg, M.D. 1984. Geology of Monahans Sandhills State Park, Texas. Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas, Austin, TX. 39 pp.

O'Brien, C.W. 1977. Trigonoscutoides texanus (New Genus, New Species) from Texas Sand Dunes (Tanymecinae: Curculionidae: Coleoptera). The Coleopterists Bulletin 31(2): 155-158.

Paulsen, M.J. & A.D. Smith. 2005. A new species of stag beetle from sand dunes in west Texas, and a synopsis of the genus Nicagus (Coleoptera: Lucanidae: Aesalinae: Nicagini). Zootaxa 1050: 45–60. [Full PDF]

December 17, 2009 © Mike Quinn / Texas Entomology / Texas Beetle Information