Ox Beetle

The Ox Beetle is a species of Rhinoceros Beetle that can be found in North, Central, and South America. They are medium-sized for their subfamily-- only growing to about 4cm in length, as opposed to their largest cousins which can be half a foot long! Interestingly though, they are still one of the largest Beetles in North America.

Ox Beetles  are sexually dimorphic, with males having much larger horns. There are actually two different types of male-- one with very large horns (the "major" variety) and one with shorter, stubbier ones ("minor").

Both sexes are great diggers, and they even bury their eggs underground. The Beetles typically stay in their larval stage for about a year, and during that time they feed on decaying vegetation. As adults they will only live 4-6 months (typically during summertime), and spend that time breeding and eating leaves and fruit.

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : North and South America
Size : Length up to 4cm
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Scarabaeidae -- Genus : Strategus-- Species : S. aloeus
Image : Shawn Hanrahan

Read More

Lesser Diving Beetle

Acilius sulcatus

In its Western European range, Acilius sulcatus is reffered to as the Lesser Diving Beetle. These Water Beetles grow to around 20mm in length, and range in color from yellow, to brown, to black.

You will find these little Beetles, unsurprisingly  in bodies of water. They have the ability to fly, so they are not confined to a single source, and they prefer locations that are low in predatory fish. Because why live where you're going to get eaten?

If there are predators around, the Lesser Diving Beetles have a defensive mechanism. They are able to secrete a toxin that drugs their attacker and puts them to sleep! They are also very fast, and are one of the quickest of all the Water Beetles.

Lesser Diving Beetles have one brood each year, either in the spring or in the autumn. Adults in cold climates are able to survive the winter by hanging out in bodies of water that do not freeze.

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Europe
Size : Length up to 20mm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Dytiscidae -- Genus : Acilius -- Species : A. sulcatus

Image : Commons

Read More

Allenius iviei

Allenius iviei

Well hurray, it's time to learn about a brand new species! This recently discovered Ladybird Beetle is one of the rarest in the United States, and is known from only two specimens.

Allenius iviei was identified as a new species when a male landed on a trap set in Montana by entomology grad student Ross Winton. Winton at first thought that the tiny creature was a body part of an ant or another insect, not a whole specimen. Most confusing was the fact that the insect looked headless!

It was soon discovered that the Beetle was not headless at all-- it actually was able to retract it back into its thorax, much like how a turtle can pull their head into their shell. It was also discovered that the specimen was a male, and matched a female that was found in Idaho. Because there are now two examples, one of each sex, the insect was able to be declared a new species (with the species name derived from the name of Winton's adviser, Michael Ivie).

There is still much to learn about Allenius iviei. But for now it remains a rare, elusive, and unusual Ladybug. The head retracting, tiny size, and sand-dune habitat have made it unique enough to belong to a brand new genus, which it shares with A. californianus, another recent discovery.

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : United States

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Coccinellidae -- Genus : Allenius -- Species : A. iviei

Read More

Red Flour Beetle

Tribolium castaneum

Today's animal is quite the pest; they are destructive as both larvae and adults, and though they originated in the Indo-Australian tropical regions, they can be found causing damage all around the world!

One little interesting fact is that the Red Flour Beetle is very similar in size, appearance, and behavior to the Confused Flour Beetle from Africa. The latter actually got its name because the two species were so alike!

Despite the name, Red Flour Beetles can be found in more than just flour. They hang out in cereals, nuts, seeds, and all sorts of other dried food products. They don't cause structural damage, and they don't have stingers that harm people, but they can have a huge negative impact on stored food. The Beetles even lay their eggs in food, the larvae eat the food, and the adults can live as long as 3 years.

Red Flour Beetles are very small, and very hardy. This makes it difficult to truly get rid of them. You have to completely eradicate all infested materials, check all possible cracks and crevasses, and essentially set up a sealed, protected food storage system. Pesticides and bleaches don't do a whole lot; a thorough disposal of materials is your best bet.

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Worldwide
Size : Body Length less than 1cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Tenebrionidae -- Genus : Tribolium -- Species : T. castaneum

Read More

Cowboy Beetle

Chondropyga dorsalis

Meet Chondropyga dorsalis, often referred to as the Cowboy Beetle. They can be found in southwestern Australia, inhabiting mostly forested areas and residential gardens. They are not considered to be a pest, even though they can spend their entire lives in one backyard.

As larvae, the Cowboy Beetles feast on rotting things, like dead wood and compost. Their eggs are actually laid in the rotting logs so that when the larvae hatch they have something to eat right away. Then then use that same material to construct their pupae.

As adults, Cowboy Beetles have a taste for food that is a bit more palatable to us non-rotten-debris eaters. They feed on the nectar of various flower species, and they use their newly acquired wings to move from different shrubs and bushes.

Their gold and black coloration actually helps them to avoid predators. When in flight they resemble the far more dangerous Wasp!

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Australia
Size : Length up to 1in (2.5cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Scarabaeidae -- Genus : Chondropyga -- Species : C. dorsalis

Read More

Khapra Beetle

Trogoderma granarium

There has been quite the tizzy recently over these tiny insects, and for very good reason. The Khapra Beetle is one of the most dangerous invasive species in the entire world! A specimen in larval form was found in a grain shipment that entered Chicago from India. That larvae was enough to reject the entire shipment; these guys are that bad. The last time the Unted States saw a major outbreak, in 1953, it took 13 years and several million dollars to eradicate.

So what is it that makes these guys so frightening? Well, their favorite foods are dry, low-moisture grains. This, coupled with their small size, the fact that they can live for long periods of time without food, and are resistant to many insecticides, adds up to some serious trouble. If the Khapra Beetle gets into a stored grain supply, it can lead to massive damage, and they are incredibly difficult to get rid of. They are considered to be one of the worst grain pests on the planets, and one of the world's worst invasive species.

Khapra Beetles are antive to India, but by this point they have spread to other parts of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and several Mediterrannean countries. They measure only 2-3cm long as adults, and only about 5mm as larvae, so they are remarkable hard to detect if they get into a rice supply. They can consume food that contains as little as 2% moisture, which means that while they will eat all sorts of plant matter, stored grains are a particular favorite.

Though US Customs has been sucessful in keeping these Beetles ouf the country for 40 odd years, they number of interceptions has been particularily high this year. From January to April 2011 they had uncovered more Khapra beetles then in all of 2010 combined. Overall, the trend has been rising year to year, requiring more vigilance to keep the invading bug out. Shipments that contain evidence of only dead Beetles are even rejected, in order to really play it safe.

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Originated in India

Size : Length up to 3cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Dermestidae -- Genus : Trogoderma -- Species : T. granarium

Read More

Great Diving Beetle

Dytiscus marginalis

Picking out just one Diving Beetle to talk about today was pretty tough, considering there are around 4,000 of them! Diving Beetles are members of a HUGE family, Dytiscidae, which includes 160 different genera.

The Great Diving Beetle is notable for its range, size, and incredible appetite. They can be found in various countries throughout Europe and Asia, and especially enjoy colder climates.

As larvae these insects can grow up to 2.3in (6cm) long. Though they are only about half that length as adults, they develop incredible hydrodynamic bodies that allow them to swiftly dive down into water in order to hunt and flee from their own hunters.

Great Diving Beetles will eat all sorts of things, even fish! They are carnivorous as both adults and larvae, and swim through the water, hunting out whatever living meals they can find. Adults have claws on their forelegs that let them grab on to prey. They then bite down and inject a fluid that begins to predigest the meal, which allows them to slurp up the insides. Yum!

---

IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Europe and Asia

Size : Adult body length up to 3.5cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Dytiscidae -- Genus : Dytiscus -- Species : D. marginalis

Read More

Giraffe Weevil

Male Giraffe Weevil

Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Coleoptera
Family : Attelabidae
Genus : Trachelophorus
Species : giraffa

Body Length : 1in (2.5cm)

I chose today's animal based entirely on its looks, as it is otherwise a relatively unremarkable creature. Giraffe Weevils can be found on the Island of Madagascar, inhabiting forested areas.The are one of the longest Weevil species.

Giraffe Weevils are sexually dimorphic. Though both males and females have the striking red body coloration, the males have much, much longer necks than the females. Male use these long necks to fight over females when it comes time to breed, they also use them to create rolled up leaf nests, which the females lay only a single egg in. The leaf then serves as a meal for the larvae upon hatching.

Read More

Sacred Scarab Beetle

Ah... back to normal. Though I just might splice in some more famous animals into the daily routine, Animal A Day is pretty open ended after all.

(Image Source)

Anyway, today I present to you the Sacred Scarab Beetle, a curious little bug that was likened to a god. Scarabaeus sacer is one many, many species found within the Dung Beetle superfamily,  Scarabaeoidea. One of its families alone, Scarabaeinae, contains over 5,000 species.

But we're going to talk about just one! The Sacred Scarab is a dung beetle native to the Mediterranean region and central Europe. Like all dung beetles, Sacred Scarabs consume dung, locating it with their sense of smell. Oftentimes they will roll the dung into balls to transport it to burrows for safekeeping, and these balls can become larger than the beetle itself! Females will also lay their eggs within these dung balls, and the larvae will hatch and consume their "nest."

The Sacred Scarab's dung rolling and egg-hatching activities are what created the link between them and the gods. In Egyptian mythology, Kheperi, the god of the rising sun, rolls the rising and setting sun in the same way the beetle pushes the dung. Sacred Scarabs were further associated with rebirth due to their emergence from the dung as young.

(Image Source)

Sacred Scarabs are portrayed in Egyptian art, sculpture, heiroglyphics, and in jewelry.

Read More

Firefly

Fireflies or Lightning Bugs are not actually flies at all! They are actually beetles within the order Coleoptera and the specific family Lampyridae. There are over 2,000 species of Firefly, and they can be found across the planet in both tropical and temperate climates, typically in areas are have a more moist habitat.

Image Source

So how do fireflies glow? Bioluminescence! They have organs dedicated to the production of light situation under their abdomens. Difference species produce different types of light flashes, and the lights are used for both finding mates and for defense. Even firefly larvae glow! Interestingly, the light that they emit produces no heat, making the light 100% efficient. Fireflies are even used for scientific purposes to study energy conversion.

As larvae, Fireflies consume other insects, including other species of Firefly. As adults however... well, no one really knows what they eat. Scientist suspect that they feed off of pollen and nectar, though they may not eat at all. Fireflies are adults only long enough to find a mate and produce eggs, so eating may not even be necessary.

Read More

Green Protea Beetle

Image from Natural Solutions

The Green Protea Beetle is one of 30,000 members of the scarab beetle family which is distinguished by heavy-bodied oblong figures, and who feed primarily on plant materials (though the Dung Beetle  side has slightly different tastes). The Green Protea Beetle is the common named for Trichostetha fasicularis, a remarkable little pollinator. They reach about 25mm in length and have a smooth black and green topside, but what drew me to them was their underside. It is covered in little brownish hairs that are used to help propagate another species - the Protea plant... which is also its namesake. (And the namesake for both goes back to Mythology yet again)

There are actually numerous types of Protea plants spreading through Africa, Asia, South America and Australia. In the country of South Africa, especially around the cape, there are numerous species of Protea, which, like many plants, require outside help to pollinate. This is where the beetle comes in. Green Protea Beetles live exclusively in the South African cape areas, and feed on the nectar of the plants. When they land on them to feed, pollen gets dusted on to their fluffy looking bellies, which then gets carried to the next meal site and dusted off... only to get more pollen brushed on, etc. etc. Other species should also get major credit for Protea pollinating, but with as many as 2,000 beetles being found on one flower head, the Green Protea Beetles definitely make an impact.

Read More

Jewel Beetle

I'm cheating a bit with this one, since there are actually something around the ballpark of 15,000 species in the Buprestidae family, but hey, they are a really interesting group of insects! They range in size (from about 4-100mm) and habitat, but they all share the common characteristic of looking shiny.

Scientists have been looking at the molecular structure of their every so shiny exoskeletons because they reflect, rather than absorb color.

One specific species, the jewel scarab Chrysina gloriosa, can actually distinguish between circularly polarized and non polarized light, and reflect circularly polarized light off of their exoskeletons. This allows them to see each other, but keeps predators from seeing them. Only one other species (a type of shrimp) is known to be sensitive to this type of light. (CP light is what movies these days are using for 3D effects, we have to wear glasses cause humans lack the natural perception)

And while we're on the topic of super neat exoskeletons, their vibrant colors have led certain cultures to use them for decorative purposes for hundreds of years. You can even buy your own beetle jewelry!

Some species are apparently able to detect fires from dozens of miles away using a sensor that detects infrared radiation from fire and other sources. They specifically need burnt firewood to breed so what better way to figure out where fires are happening? Figuring out how to mimic these sensors could have major civilian and military impacts, and all from the undersides of tiny beetles! (Interestingly, these places are a great place for them to breed because no other critters go there. Safety!)

images from hondurasbutterfly.com and treknature.com

Read More