Hololepta Clown Beetle (Histeridae)
Arizona
If Oscars were awarded for Most Aesthetically Pleasing Sculpturing on an Insect, hister beetles would make the short list. Especially Hololepta, which not only shows the trademark histerid shininess but also has a flattened, paper-thin body. Michele Lanan, who collected this beetle for me, noted that it seems designed to inhabit the pages of a book.
In case it isn’t obvious from those killer mandibles, Hololepta is predatory. This one was found in a rotting cactus in the Arizona desert, where it likely hunted fly larvae.
photo details: TOP 1- Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon 20D
f/13, 1/250 sec, ISO 100
BOTTOM 2- Canon 100m f2.8 macro lens on a Canon 20D
BOTTOM 2- Canon 100m f2.8 macro lens on a Canon 20D
f/15, 1/250 sec, ISO 100
all photos illuminated by indirect strobe in a white box
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Why does it look so matte in the 1st photo, but shiny in the other two?
Old-man: Thanks for stopping by!
Aydin: Good question. All three photos were taken in a white box with a strobe. The first one was done properly, with the strobe near the center of the box, so that the lighting was very even. This gives the beetle a smooth look even though it’s very reflective. The others look like I’d tipped the strobe a bit so that the beetle is actually catching some of the light directly.
Nice pic of hololepta, in France we have only Hololepta Plana do you no the specie of this taxon ?