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Small black beetle, approximately 1.2 - 1.5 cm long, walking across the trail. Wings are textured with pits and ridges. It appears to have a TAIL that looks like a short string of pearls. Tail has 8 visible, rounded segments. Update: Poop not tail :-)

Genus Coniontis is a member of Darkling Beetles (Tenebrionidae) family. Tenebrionoidea (formerly called "Heteromera")

Bug photographs from the U.S/Canada for I.D: https://bugguide.net and https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Coniontis&search=Search

Beetle Anatomy: simple diagram of external parts: https://animalcorner.org/beetle-anatomy/

Desert Stink Beetles (Genus Eleodes) Eleodes is a genus of Darkling Beetles, family Tenebrionidae. "They are commonly known as pinacate beetles or desert stink beetles. They are endemic to western North America, with many species found in the Sonoran Desert. They are found in sandy environments. The name pinacate is Mexican Spanish, derived from the Nahuatl (Aztec) name for the insect, pinacatl, which translates as "black beetle." Eleodes species range from 8 to 40 mm in length and are black. All produce an irritating substance as a deterrent to predators, and many will stand on their heads to spray it." https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/53817-Eleodes

Cucujiform Beetles (Infraorder Cucujiformia) represent most plant-eating beetles. The infraorder contains 7 superfamilies: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/372852-Cucujiformia

Taxonomic Chart of Cucujiform Beetles:

Chrysomeloidea (~7 families including longhorn beetles and leaf beetles)
Cleroidea (checkered beetles, bark-gnawing beetles and soft-winged flower beetles)
Coccinelloidea (15 families, includes ladybirds and fungus beetles)
Cucujoidea (~27 families)
Curculionoidea (~8 families primarily consisting of weevils and also including snout beetles and bark beetles)
Lymexyloidea (ship-timber beetles)
Tenebrionoidea (formerly "Heteromera") (30 families including DARKLING Beetles, blister beetles and ant-like beetles)

Field Guide to California Insects, by Kip Will, J. Gross, D. Rubinoff , J. Powell, 2nd ed., 2020

BugGuide: Arthropods: Photos of Insects, Spiders & Their Kin (US & Canada), clickable categories or use search bar (scientific name): https://bugguide.net/node/view/3/bgpage