- Death Valley June beetle
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Death Valley June beetle Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Scarabaeidae Subfamily: Melolonthinae Genus: Polyphylla Species: P. erratica Binomial name Polyphylla erratica
(Hardy and Andrews, 1978)The Death Valley June beetle (Polyphylla erratica) is a scarab beetle in the subfamily Melolonthinae. It is only known to occur in the drainage basin of the Amargosa River in the southwestern United States.[1] Saltgrass communities, such as those at Saratoga Springs in Death Valley, provide habitat for the insect at all stages of its life.[2]
Predators of the beetle include coyotes, ravens, and shrikes, the last of which are known to impale the insects on vegetation.[2]
The Death Valley June beetle does not carry any official conservation status, but is listed as a Species of Concern by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.[3] The California Department of Fish and Game considers the beetle a "Special Animal" of high conservation need.[4]
References
- ^ "Death Valley geology field trip: Saratoga and Valley Springs". USGS/NPS. http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/ftsar2.html. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ a b A. La Rue, Delbert (March-June 1998). "Notes on Polyphylla Harris with a description of a new species. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)". Insecta Mundi 12 (1 & 2): 22–37. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1351&context=insectamundi. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ "Species Profile for Death Valley june beetle (Polyphylla erratica)". FWS. http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=I0L7. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ "California Natural Diversity Database: SPECIAL ANIMALS (898 taxa)". CDFG. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/biogeodata/cnddb/pdfs/spanimals.pdf. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
Death Valley and Death Valley National Park Fauna, flora and minerals Amargosa springsnail · Borax · Chuckwalla · Death Valley monkeyflower · Death Valley pupfish · Death Valley June beetle · Devil's Hole pupfish · Saratoga Springs pupfish
History Amargosa Opera House and Hotel · Badwater · Death Valley Railroad · Greenwater · Harmony Borax Works · Lake Manly (Badwater Basin) · Skidoo · Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad · Twenty-mule team
Places Amargosa Range / River / Valley · Ash Meadows NWR · Badwater Basin · Ballarat · Beatty · Black Mountains · Chloride City · Cottonwood Mountains · Darwin Falls · Death Valley Junction · Eureka Valley / Dunes · Funeral Mountains · Furnace Creek · Panamint City / Range / Springs / Valley · Racetrack · Rhyolite · Saline Valley · Saratoga Springs · Scotty's Castle · Stovepipe Wells · Telescope Peak · Trona · Ubehebe Crater · Zabriskie Point
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