I think I found two different species of Net-Winged Beetles just minutes and 20 feet apart today, though I don't seem to be batting very well today. Think the first photo is of Calopteron discrepens, and the second is C. reticulatum. Please tell how wrong I am.
I believe that they both are C. reticulatum - unfortunately, the black wing bands do not appear to be reliably diagnostic...
Flapdoodle, the reference I was using at home showed C. discrepens with the black "stripe" running from head to the mid-wing black bands. The photos for the two species matched my two photos exactly, thus my conclusion. After reading your response I googled both species and found the images essentially interchangeable. Then I looked in Arthur Evans' "Beetles of Eastern North America" and the photo of C. reticulatum looked just like my first photo. How does one make a meaningful ID? Very discouraging when trying to develop some proficiency in this process. Thank you for all your help.
You can find some hints here -
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/beetles/banded_net-winged_beetle.htm
Thank you for your further assistance!
