This western fence lizard that has taken up residence on an outside sofa, has a broken tail. Photo by Ilene Tassano, 30 May 2015, Columbia California. Thanks to Gary Nafis for identification.

This western fence lizard that has taken up residence on an outside sofa, has a broken tail.

This western fence lizard that has taken up residence on an outside sofa, has a broken tail.

Here are some images of a local species of ironclad beetle. Click on an image to enlarge it.:

Specimen #1

Ironclad beetle. Dorsal view.
Columbia CA. 5 June 2015

Ironclad beetle. Dorsal view.
Columbia CA. 5 June 2015

Ironclad beetle. Dorsal view.
Columbia CA. 5 June 2015

Ironclad beetle. Dorsal view.
Columbia CA. 5 June 2015

Ironclad beetle. Dorsal view. Tip of abdomen
Columbia CA. 5 June 2015

Ironclad beetle. Ventral view. tip of abdomen.
Columbia CA. 5 June 2015

Ironclad beetle. Ventral view. thorax to abdomen area.
Columbia CA. 5 June 2015

Ironclad beetle. Ventral view. forward part of thorax.
Columbia CA. 5 June 2015

Ironclad beetle. Ventral view. head.
Columbia CA. 5 June 2015

Ironclad beetle. Ventral view.
5 June 2015

Specimen #2

Ironclad beetle, dorsal view

Ironclad beetle, ventral view, head-thorax area

Ironclad beetle, ventral view, midsection

Ironclad beetle, ventral view, tip of abdomen

Ironclad beetle, dorsal view, head

Ironclad beetle, ventral view, head

Ironclad beetle, ventral view, head

Ironclad beetle, ventral view

Ironclad beetle, ventral view

The Oak Groundling, Telphusa sedulitella, is the most common caterpillar we find on oak trees in spring in the lower foothills. They feed on the fresh newly emerged oak leaves, then drop down on silken lines to pupate. They will emerge as adults in late May through July. More photos at http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=1859

Oak Groundling, Telphusa sedulitella , Columbia CA

This spider is a species within the genus Titiotus, which is native to California. The genus is covered in “A Revision of the Endemic Californian Spider Genus Titiotus Simon (Araneae, Tengellidae), by Norman I. Platnick and Darrell Ubick. Based on their distribution map, our local species are Titiotus californicus and Titiotus gertschi.

Titiotus distribution map. Click to enlarge

Titiotus superfically looks like a brown recluse spider, or desert recluse spider, but isn’t. Titiotus has eight eyes, whereas brown recluse-type spiders have only six. Due to its prominent violin marking and large size, Titiotus is one of the most commonly reported species. Do not worry, as the venom of these spiders is not toxic to people. Rick Vetter told me, via a personal communication, of a medical student who was bitten, and the bite had “almost no effect.”

A quote from the Platnick and Ubick paper: “At lower elevations, including the Coast Ranges, Titiotus species occur mostly in forests, especially oak and mixed evergreen, but also in rocky grasslands. These spiders are also strongly cavernicolous; almost half of  the known species are recorded from caves, where they may be quite abundant. For example, in Speleogen Cave (Calaveras County, Aug. 8, 1986, D. Ubick) several subadult and earlier instar Titiotus, presumably  T. gertschi, new species, the only species known from that cave, were observed in a small room (.5 m  diameter).”

This suggests a reason Titiotus is so common in homes, especially in cooler and darker areas, like basements… they love caves!

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Rick Vetter for his review and comments about this page.

Click on an image to enlarge it. See also this page for more pictures.

female Titotus

female Titotus

female Titotus

female Titotus

female Titotus

female Titotus

female Titotus

female Titotus

—————-

male of the species:

Male Titiotus

Male Titiotus

Male Titiotus

Male Titiotus

Male Titiotus

male Titiotus.

Probable Titiotus spider. Photo by Jason Mink, 30 September 2017, Sonora Ca.

Titiotus photo by Ryan McQuoid 6 June 2019

Neoclytus conjunctus is a wood boring beetle that is found in oak firewood. They emerge in spring to mate and lay eggs. Specimen collected by Steve Deaver, Twain Harte California, 8 May 2015, in a woodpile. Lower down is an image by Paul Cooper, 18 May 2017.

Click on an image to enlarge it.

Neoclytus conjunctus, Twain Harte CA

Neoclytus conjunctus, Twain Harte CA

Neoclytus conjunctus, Twain Harte CA

Neoclytus conjunctus, Twain Harte CA

Neoclytus conjunctus, Twain Harte CA
Close-up of dorsal chevorn

Neoclytus conjunctus, Twain Harte CA. Tarsal claw. The blue item is just a piece of fuzz or lint.

Neoclytus conjunctus, Twain Harte CA. Ventral views

Neoclytus conjunctus, Twain Harte CA, ventral view

Neoclytus conjunctus, Twain Harte CA close-up of dorsal chevron

Neoclytus collected by Paul Cooper, 18 May 2017, Murphys Ca

The rough stink bug, Brochymena quadripustulata

Thanks to Lynn Wunderlich for the identification! Specimen collected by Steven Deaver May 2015.

Click on image to enlarge it.