Tribe Scaritini

*Note: Only one genus within the Tribe Scaritini is found in Virginia orchards.

Genus Scarites

Narrow, oblong, black beetles; body very distinctly pedunculate; lacinia hooked at apex; posterior angles of pronotum wanting; elytra parallel, rounded at apex, without humeral carinae; protibiae widened, flattened, and dentate on outer margin; antennae with first segment as long as the second, third, and the fourth together. The members of this genus are strictly predaceous and very beneficial.

a. Scarites subterraneous

Elongate-oblong, parallel-sided, slightly convex; black, shining. Head with two deep, parallel lines. Pronotum subquadrate, sides nearly straight, margins fine; apex truncate, base angulate. Elytra distinctly striate, striae impunctate. Protibiae on outer margin with three large teeth preceded by one small one. Length 15 - 20 mm. This species is found most commonly in gardens and along cultivated areas beneath stones, logs, and leaves.