Family: Tenebrionidae
Subfamily: Coelometopinae
Length: 20-24 mm
This is among the larger beetles routinely found under bark in West Virginiathe length is typically over 20 mm. Often when bark is pulled away, one sees many individuals of this species living in close proximity to each other. Adults as well as the larvae are predators on other insects.
Spelling note: while many insects have a species name of pensylvanica, this species flaunts Latin's disdain of double consonants and spells it pennsylvanica. While it is true that Nomina Insecta Nearctica lists the name with a single n, but nearly all other sources use two for this species.
Left: the face of a beetle flattened for life under bark.
Insects of West Virginia
