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Classification ........Platycerus oregonensis Westwood,1845

P. oregonensis Westwood, 1845: cvi. (orig. comb.)
P. coerulescens LeConte, 1861: 351. (synonym)
P. chalybaeus Casey, 1897: 639. (synonym)     

Superfamily.....
Family........... Subfamily......

Scarabaeoidea
Lucanidae
Lucaninae
 
Lucaninae Genera

Aegognathus
Altitatiayus
Andinolucanus
Arnaudius
Apterocyclus
Apterodorcus
Auxicerus
Brasilucanus
Caenolethrus
Cantharolethrus
Casignetus
Charagmophorus
Chiasognathus
Chileistomus
Dorcus
Erichius
Incadorcus
Leptinopterus
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Metadorcinus
Metadorcus
Montesinus
Onorelucanus
Platyceroides
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Pycnosiphorus
Sclerostomulus
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Scortizus
Sphaenognathus
Zikanius

 

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oregonensis mandibles

P. oregonensis., male.Photo by M.J. Paulsen.

Male head and mandibles.
 
map
  Distribution of P. oregonensis



 
 
 
 
   
 

Taxonomy:

 

The species was first described in the 1844 Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London, which were published in 1845. A subsequent publication in 1846 misspelled the name, but is not the original spelling.

Some populations near the Pacific coast are entirely black, instead of the bluish coloration that is more widespread. Fujita's illustrated catalog (2010) erroneously treated the synonym P. coerulescens as a valid subspecific name, arbitrarily deciding that the black form deserved recognition from the widespread blue form by considering it to be the nominal subspecies. In fact the holotype of C. oregonensis is blue, and thus P. coerulescens is an obvious synonym. Regardless, such minimal color variations should not be recognized as subspecies.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
 

Distribution:

 

Evans, A.V. & J.N. Hogue. 2006. Field Guide to California Beetles. University of California Press, Los Angeles, 362 pp.

 
 

Van Dyke, E.C. 1928. Notes and descriptions of new species of Lucanidae and Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from western North America. Pan-Pacific Entomologist 4: 105-113.

 
 
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Author: M. J. Paulsen
Generated on:
9/OCT/2006
University of Nebraska State Museum - Division of Entomology