Bug FAQObscure Darkling Beetle
Eleodes obscura · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Tenebrionidae
The obscure darkling beetle is a dull black beetle about 0.9 to 1.2 in (23 to 31 mm) long with grooved wing covers and a front femur that has a small tooth near the tibia. It lives across western North America from British Columbia and Washington down to northern Mexico and east to Kansas and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Each front femur has an anterior tooth near the tibia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, Texas, Oregon.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is this beetle found?
Its range covers western North America from British Columbia and Washington down to northern Mexico and east to Kansas and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Tenebrionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleodes_obscura
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.