Mordellistena sp. - Tumbling Flower Beetle

Adult: 2- 4mm.

Order Coleoptera/ Family Mordellidae - Tumbling Flower Beetles

Very small, these black or dark brown beetles with silvery pubescence can be seen on flowers feeding on pollen, especially on Eriogonum, Encelia and Isocoma. They are dorsally wedge-shaped with the last abdominal segment pointed and protruding beyond the elytra. If disturbed, they tumble off the flower, giving them their common name. The slender, worm-like larvae are little investigated, but are known in part to be borers of the pith of various shrubs and weeds. There are around 150 species of Mordellistena catalogued in the U.S.