''Eleodes'' is a genus of
darkling beetles, family Tenebrionidae.
They are commonly known as pinacate beetles or desert stink beetles. They are
endemic to western North America, with many species found in the
Sonoran Desert. The name ''pinacate'' is
Mexican Spanish, derived from the
Nahuatl
Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
(Aztec) name for the insect, ''pinacatl'', which translates as "black beetle."
''Eleodes'' species range from 8 to 40 mm in length and are black. All produce
quinone
The quinones are a class of organic compounds that are formally "derived from aromatic compounds uch as benzene or naphthalene
Uch ( pa, ;
ur, ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf ( pa, ;
ur, ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexand ...
by conversion of an even number of –CH= groups into –C(=O)– groups with any necessary rearrangement of double ...
or similar substances as a deterrent to predators, and many will stand on their heads to spray it. They are found in sandy environments.
Some species, such as the Wooly Darkling Beetle or
Eleodes Osculans, are capable of flight.
See also
*
List of ''Eleodes'' species
*
El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve
El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve ( es, Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar) is a biosphere reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site managed by the federal government of Mexico, specifically by Secreta ...
References
*
External links
Desert USA – Stinkbugs
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6938538
Tenebrionidae genera
Gran Desierto de Altar
Fauna of the Sonoran Desert
Taxa named by Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz