Callisthenes (Chrysostigma) obsoletus (Say 1823)
Locality: Native, New World. Canada- AB, MB, SK; USA- CO, IA, ID, KS, MN, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WY
Common Name: Old Beautiful Black Searcher
Synonyms: Calosoma obsoleta Say, 1823; Calosoma indistinctum LeConte, 1845; Calosoma obsoleta microstricta Casey, 1897
Macrohabitat: Lowlands to uplands, 321-2186 meters altitude. Microhabitat: On open ground covered with some vegetation (e.g. grass or weeds) on open prairies, rangelands, cultivated fields (e.g. alfalfa, corn, wheat), along fence rows, and roadsides. Markedly favored by human activities. Dispersal abilities: Macropterous, capable of flight. Seasonal occurrence: Adults have been found in April- November; oviposition in June- August. Behavior: Crepuscular, adults take cover during the day under pieces of wood, dry cow dung and dead prostrate weeds; sometimes active by the hundreds on cloudy days. Adults found overwintering in cavities in the ground (as deep as 15 cm). Life span: probably 2-3 years. Adults and larvae are predaceous on lepidopterous caterpillars and under lab conditions will eat grasshoppers. The favored prey of adults are the larvae of the moth, Hemileuca oliviae Ckll; that of the larvae, the cocooned pupa of this moth species. (Erwin, 2001; Burgess & Collins, 1917; Larochelle & Lariviere, 2003; Lindroth, 1961; Data from NMNH collection)