Chlaenius pimalicus

Chlaenius pimalicus (Carabidae: Harpalinae: Chlaeniini) is one of my favorite ground beetles from North America.  During my 17 years in Tucson, Arizona, I had very much wanted to find one in the field.  I didn’t manage until 2 months before I left Arizona.  One August day in 2009 we went down to Walker Canyon, and there, in an open grassland with large oak trees (pictured below), we found them in good numbers, running on the ground at night.  They may have been attracted to the area by our UV light.

Walker Canyon, AZ