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« A damselfly in natural light
Over at Beetles in the Bush… »

Friday Beetle Blogging: the Fiery Searcher

July 16, 2010 by myrmecos

Calosoma scrutator, the fiery searcher
Savoy, Illinois

It’s a good thing Myrmecos isn’t a scratch-and-sniff blog. This beetle is a real stinker.

Calosoma scrutator, the fiery searcher, measures about 3cm long and is among our largest native ground beetles. The spectacular metallic coloration serves to warn predators- and, apparently, photographers- of the noxious chemicals it can release when threatened. I had to wash my hands after handling this insect.


photo details: Canon EOS 7D camera
Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens
(top)ISO 200, f/11, 1/125 sec
(bottom) ISO100, f/13, 1/160 sec
indirect strobe in white box

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Posted in beetles, Nature | Tagged Calosoma, carabidae, coleoptera, Photography | 16 Comments

16 Responses

  1. on July 16, 2010 at 6:11 am Kurt

    Excellent shots…the light is fabulous.


  2. on July 16, 2010 at 6:29 am Joshua King

    Smells like teen spirit.


  3. on July 16, 2010 at 7:03 am The Warrenator

    Love this bug and its name. What chemicals does it emit?


  4. on July 16, 2010 at 8:05 am Adrian Thysse

    A beautiful stinker…


  5. on July 16, 2010 at 9:07 am jtrager

    That is one fine “bug”.

    A number of years ago, a researcher around here set up acorn traps in a forest to study mast production cycles, and got hundreds of these in her traps every season. I can only imagine how pleasant (NOT) it was to empty those out.


  6. on July 16, 2010 at 10:13 am JasonC.

    Hmmm. I’ve never seen/sniffed one of these before. What’s the smell like? Should I be excited to sniff one? I’m a bit naive; I haven’t whiffed insects much worse than a stinkbug.


    • on July 16, 2010 at 6:08 pm myrmecos

      Rancid in an acid-rotting flesh kind of way. Hard to describe, but definitely not so pleasant as a stink bug.


      • on July 17, 2010 at 7:20 am JasonC.

        Stink bugs are pleasant, then? Well, now I’ll make sure I have a gas mask with me next time I dig through the leaf litter.


  7. on July 16, 2010 at 12:41 pm Wildlife Photography | Gift Books | Bird Art | Bee Art | Insect Art | Wild Light Nature Photography » Blog Archive » Myrmecos does natural light

    […] Friday he blogs about beetles, today’s is on the fiery searcher, Calosoma scrutator. […]


  8. on July 16, 2010 at 3:14 pm Crystal Ernst

    Beautiful. Stunning, actually. I had no idea this species uses chemical defenses. I’m also curious what it smells like…akin to stink bugs or very different? Is it an irritant as well?


  9. on July 16, 2010 at 5:58 pm dragonflywoman

    But they’re SO gorgeous I think it’s wholly worth putting up with the smell. They really are awful though.


  10. on July 16, 2010 at 8:22 pm jason

    These guys are so handsome, but I learned long ago that they’re better seen than smelled.


  11. on July 17, 2010 at 8:22 am allthingsbiological

    Nice pictures, Alex!

    A few more pictures (including hunting) at http://thingsbiological.wordpress.com/2010/05/13/fiery-hunter/ and http://thingsbiological.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/carabid-caterpillar-hunter/ .

    Single or double click for image size magnifications.

    This one didn’t seem very defensive, so I wasn’t able to experience the odor. I feel kind of like I missed something…


  12. on July 17, 2010 at 12:14 pm Andrea J.

    Does the smell go away after death? I’ve been meaning to try to find some of these for my collection … but I’m not sure that I really want it smelling of acid-rotting flesh…


  13. on July 21, 2010 at 2:12 pm Julianne

    Great images! I came across your blog and had to keep reading your witty-ologist posts!

    I found a fiery searcher in our garden awhile back. I put it in a jar (I’m a wimp) to take pictures of it. It must have not been too threatened (maybe it smelled my wimp-scent) since it didn’t produce the lovely smell you described. I couldn’t capture all of the magnificent colors, but I definitely tried. Glad to see you did!


  14. on July 23, 2010 at 10:38 pm Janet

    Gorgeous pics, Alex! Love the front shot showing those big caterpillar chomping mandibles.

    I caught a Fiery Searcher a couple summers ago. Beautiful! I loved how the iridescent color would change in the light. But, yes, I also agree with you. I am very glad it is not a scratch and sniff blog.



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