Stink Beetles!!

I wanted to call this post stink bugs, because that is what Eleodes sp. beetles are called here in Idaho. Kelly’s pet peeve is that anyone would call a tenebrionid beetle a stink bug, especially when stink bug obviously refers to the (the greatest insects ever Kelly says) Pentatomidae (duh!). The cool thing is that when you disturb these beetles they put their butts in the air waft foul odors to prove they are distasteful  the coolest thing is that grasshopper mice grab the stink beetles, shove their butts into the ground, and eat them from the head first – when you are finding just a bunch of teneb. butts you know you are in grasshopper mouse country! I have been waiting for Triplehorn’s big red book of Eleodes knowledge (for all of North America) – I hope it shows up soon!

Anyway I saw my first Eleodes of the year while backpacking in the Salmon Falls Creek Wilderness Study Area with Kelly this weekend, there is a photo of this event below. Regis (the dog) got stunked by one too (and he smells awful).

This was a small Eleodes beetle running through our campsite (Salmon Falls Creek, 16 March 2013). I had one lucky shot with a point and shoot camera!