Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

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Blapstinus pubescens (G.R. Waterhouse, 1845)

Escarabajo tenebriónido, Darkling beetle

Blapstinus pubescens Santiago Island. Specimen housed in the ICCDRS collection (ICCDRS 8751) Photo: María Sol Herrera, CDF, 2024.
Blapstinus pubescens Santiago Island. Specimen housed in the ICCDRS collection (ICCDRS 8751) Photo: María Sol Herrera, CDF, 2024.

Scavenger; littoral to pampa zones; all months; in litter, at lights, at carrion, FIT, malaise, pan traps, in rotting fruit. The species is fully winged and can fly, which accounts for its wide distribution.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Arthropoda

Class
Insecta

Order
Coleoptera

Suborder
Polyphaga

Superfamily
Tenebrionoidea

Family
Tenebrionidae

Section
Opatrini

Genus
Blapstinus

Species
pubescens

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Pedonoeces pubescens G.R.Waterhouse, 1845, fide Peck (2006)

Origin: Endemic

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Española, Fernandina, Floreana, Genovesa, Isabela, Pinta, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Santiago

References

  • Aalbu, R.L Triplehorn, C.A. (1991) Pedonoeces G.R. Waterhouse equals Blapstinus Sturm: Relavant Name Changes for California and Galápagos Island Species and New Insular Species from Mexico (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The Coleopterists Bull. 45(2): 169-175.
  • Franz, H. (1985) Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Koleopterenfauna der Galapagos-Inseln. Österr. Akad. Wissensch. Mathem.-naturw. Kl., Abt. I, 194(1-5): 73-124.
  • Kaszab, Z. (1970) Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae. Mission Zool. Belge aux îles Galapagos et en Ecuador (N. et J. Leleup, 1964-1965) 2: 183-210.
  • Linell, M.L. (1898) On the coleopterous insects of the Galapagos Islands. Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus. 21(1143): 249-268.
  • Linsley, E.G. (1977) Insects of the Galápagos (Supplement). Occassional Papers of the Califoria Academy of Sciences 125: 1-50.
  • Mutchler, A.J. (1925) Coleoptera. From the Williams Galapagos Expedition. Zoologica 5(20): 219-240.
  • Peck, S.B. (2006) The Beetles of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: Evolution, Ecology, and Diversity (Insecta: Coleoptera) NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 314 pp.
  • Van Dyke, E.C. (1953) The Coleoptera of the Galapagos Islands. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences 22: 1-181.
  • Waterhouse, G.R. (1845) Descriptions of coleopterous insects collected by Charles Darwin, Esq., in the Galapagos Islands. Ann. Nat. Hist. 16: 19-41.

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This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Blapstinus pubescens", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=5608. Accessed 4 June 2026.