Friday Beetle Blogging: Chlaenius ground beetle

Caption

Chlaenius sp. ground beetle, Urbana, Illinois

This colorful beetle came from our back yard.  It's a ground beetle in the genus Chlaenius, recognizeable from its pubescent elytra and pungent defensive secretions.  Like most ground beetles, Chlaenius makes a living as a predator.

The beetle's metallic sheen is not the result of a pigment but of fine microscopic sculpturing on the integument.  This is evident when the insect is viewed at a different aspect: notice how the color turns to green in lateral view:

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The same beetle, in sideview.

photo details: Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D

ISO 200, f/13, 1/80 sec, indirect strobe in a white box

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Oho! A multilayer reflector, very nice. Now you've got to get your hands on one of those loxandrines with diffraction gratings. :)

By Ainsley S (not verified) on 02 Oct 2009 #permalink

Beautiful animal!