Wednesday 29 June 2011

The Golden beetle

  
This shy beetle is a darkling beetle, Lagria hirta. It is found on foliage or on flowers, and appears to be attracted to light so if often comes inside buildings during its short adult life. It flies around July. The larvae, in contrast, is long lived and feeds on decaying vegetable matter from the autumn to the next summer. The adult plays dead when disturbed an is quite sluggish. Males have much larger eyes (below) than females, and both are covered on a shiny golden hairy coat.
 Female.
Male.

No comments: