Nicagus obscurus (LeConte, 1847)

Freese, Edwin L., Veal, Doug A. & Lago, Paul K., 2020, The Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) of Iowa: An annotated checklist, Insecta Mundi 2020 (787), pp. 1-83 : 11-12

Nicagus obscurus (LeConte, 1847)

Paulsen and Smith 2005; Evans 2014; ISIC; USNM; WIRC; DAVC; ELFC; MJPC; PKLC.

Collection dates: April–June.

Males and females collected small wooded stream, under and on debris, on sandbar, and sifted from sand. Specimens also collected in flight above sandbar and near stream. A few females have been collected in a small chamber under debris sandbar small wooded stream. Males have been observed “swarming” or flying zig-zag and circling in groups of ten to twenty or more over a small area of sand- bar. Specimens have also been collected under horse dung on a bike path near wooded stream and flying some distance from stream.

Specimen label data: Ames , Story Co., Iowa, 23 May 1929, H. M. Harris ( ISIC) ; Ames , Story Co., Iowa, 27 April 1931, R. H. Nelson, determined Howden 1955 ( ISIC) ; Shimek State Forest , Lee Co., Iowa, 6 May 2006, small chamber under piece of debris sandbar [female], 2 April 2010, sifted from sandbar [male], 20 May 2011, in flight over sandbar [male], ELF ( ELFC) .

County records ( Figure 34 ): Johnson, Lee, Linn, Story.

Subfamily SYNDESINAE MacLeay, 1819

Tribe CERUCHINI Jacquelin du Val, 1857

Ceruchus MacLeay, 1819

Figures

Figures 34–41. Distribution of Scarabaeoidea in Iowa. 34) Nicagus obscurus (LeConte, 1847). 35) Ceruchus piceus (Weber, 1801). 36) Platycerus quercus (Weber, 1801). 37) Dorcus parallelus (Say, 1824). 38) Lucanus capreolus (Linnaeus, 1764). 39) Lucanus placidus Say, 1825. 40) Xenochodaeus americanus (Westwood, 1852). 41)