Triplax dissimulator
species of insect
Triplax dissimulator is a North American species of small pleasing fungus beetle (family Erotylidae). It is placed in subfamily Tritominae (formerly Triplacinae), or – in taxonomic arrangements that prefer a more comprehensive subfamily Erotylinae – in tribe Tritomini of the Erotylinae.
Description
Adults of this beetle are about 3-4.8 mm long and 1.6-2.6 mm wide; their elongated elliptical body is very broad for a Triplax, less than twice as long as it is wide. It resembles the closely related genus Tritoma in proportions, but its pronotum and basal half of the wing sides are almost parallel, not distinctly curving as is usual for Tritoma. The surface of the carapace is mostly bare or almost so, with conspicuous hair only on the abdomen. Like in many of their relatives, head and pronotum are reddish-orange, while the elytra are black and slightly shiny. Unusual for a Triplax, the centerline of the pronotum has two black spots, one at the front and one at the back side of the pronotum; these spots may be vestigial, usually they are immediately obvious. Most commonly the spots are slightly pointed towards the center of the pronotum; in some individuals they are larger and connect to form a broad lengthwise stripe, which has an hourglass shape except in the most large-spotted specimens. As usual for the members of the "breast-plated" species complex, T.flavicollis has orange antenna bases and legs; its hindleg coxae are black, however, and the coxae of its middle legs are brown. The "stem" of the antennae is orange like the base, while the "clubbed" antenna tip is brown to black.
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