Subject: Toe-winged Beetle, Ptilodactyla sp.

Location: Upshur County, West Virginia

Stock Number: 06-25617

Comments: The beetles in this family have a number of unusual features, including a heart-shaped scutellum and an unusual lobe on the lower part of the third segment of the tarsi. The elytra can feature dense hair, especially toward the rear and at the margins.

In this family it is easy to tell the genders apart. Females have saw-toothed antennae, while the males (like the beetle shown here) have comb-like antennae.

Adults are attracted to lights. They may also be found on foliage near forest margins and especially near water.