3ef4098ef18dd52aae514e6d389b8080

TitleBess Beetle--tunneling machine
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
Rating3.625
VettedTrusted
Description
Presumed female Bess Beetle, length about 35 mm. I like this photo because you can see several adaptations for the beetle's tunneling lifestyle--notes. I'll post some photos later of the unrelated Scarites, a ground beetle that burrows--it has a rather similar form.  I found a pair of these beetles under the bark of a rotting log. I tore the log up looking for the larvae, which I have never photographed, but had no luck. Having captured a pair, I'm going to try and rear them. (I felt a bit guilty about tearing up the log, too, disrupting their home--I normally do nothing more than pull off a bit of bark.) -BugGuide account  PCCA20090216-7603A
Original URLhttp://farm4.staticflickr.com/3321/3305948273_19e453b59c_o.jpg
photographerPatrick Coin
providerFlickr: EOL Images
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith