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California Beetle Project > Species Pages > Brachinus tschernikhi Classification
Scientific name: Brachinus tschernikhi Mannerheim Images (click to enlarge) What it looks like: 7.0-9.5 mm in length. 4.2-4.4 mm in width. Wing-covers blue with highly defined ridges and with entire dorsal surface having dense hair. Head, pronotum (dorsal part of the thorax), and abdominal segments brown to reddish brown. Pronotum smooth. Where you'll find it: Deserts and coastal areas of southern California and northern Baja California. Mid to eastern Arizona. Natural History: Much in regard to the lifestyle of B. tschernikhi is unknown or unverified. B. pallidus, which is very similar to B. tschernikhi, has been studied more rigorously. Because of their likeness, we can assume that B. tschernikhi has a lifestyle similar to that of B. pallidus in that it is a generalist predator and scavenger. It also can be assumed to be a parasite of the pupae of streamside insects in its larval stage, but the species of insects that it has a parasitic relationship with is not known. It is usually found in rocky, streamside areas. With the ability to thrive in both wet and dry places, this species, although sparsely populated and uncommonly observed, occupies an extremely wide range of habitats. This page was written by David Honsberger, a 2005 participant in the Quasars to Sea Stars teen program. |
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