Eleodes gigantea is a species of desert stink beetle or darkling beetle[1] in the family Tenebrionidae.

[2][3][4] They can be found from San Francisco, California down to Tijuana, Mexico, however, they are more typically located in the lower half of California from Santa Cruz to San Diego.

[5] They typically have a smooth black elytron and like other species of Eleodes, when frightened they secrete benzoquinone[6] and upturn their bodies to spray it.

The secretion is orange in color and has a strong odor that causes the eyes to water.

[7] Eleodes gigantea meridionalis have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits[8] and some of the earliest reports of the species date back to 1918.