Giraffe Weevil

Male Giraffe Weevil

Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Coleoptera
Family : Attelabidae
Genus : Trachelophorus
Species : giraffa

Body Length : 1in (2.5cm)

I chose today's animal based entirely on its looks, as it is otherwise a relatively unremarkable creature. Giraffe Weevils can be found on the Island of Madagascar, inhabiting forested areas.The are one of the longest Weevil species.

Giraffe Weevils are sexually dimorphic. Though both males and females have the striking red body coloration, the males have much, much longer necks than the females. Male use these long necks to fight over females when it comes time to breed, they also use them to create rolled up leaf nests, which the females lay only a single egg in. The leaf then serves as a meal for the larvae upon hatching.

Sacred Scarab Beetle

Ah... back to normal. Though I just might splice in some more famous animals into the daily routine, Animal A Day is pretty open ended after all.

(Image Source)

Anyway, today I present to you the Sacred Scarab Beetle, a curious little bug that was likened to a god. Scarabaeus sacer is one many, many species found within the Dung Beetle superfamily,  Scarabaeoidea. One of its families alone, Scarabaeinae, contains over 5,000 species.

But we're going to talk about just one! The Sacred Scarab is a dung beetle native to the Mediterranean region and central Europe. Like all dung beetles, Sacred Scarabs consume dung, locating it with their sense of smell. Oftentimes they will roll the dung into balls to transport it to burrows for safekeeping, and these balls can become larger than the beetle itself! Females will also lay their eggs within these dung balls, and the larvae will hatch and consume their "nest."

The Sacred Scarab's dung rolling and egg-hatching activities are what created the link between them and the gods. In Egyptian mythology, Kheperi, the god of the rising sun, rolls the rising and setting sun in the same way the beetle pushes the dung. Sacred Scarabs were further associated with rebirth due to their emergence from the dung as young.

(Image Source)

Sacred Scarabs are portrayed in Egyptian art, sculpture, heiroglyphics, and in jewelry.

Firefly

Fireflies or Lightning Bugs are not actually flies at all! They are actually beetles within the order Coleoptera and the specific family Lampyridae. There are over 2,000 species of Firefly, and they can be found across the planet in both tropical and temperate climates, typically in areas are have a more moist habitat.

Image Source

So how do fireflies glow? Bioluminescence! They have organs dedicated to the production of light situation under their abdomens. Difference species produce different types of light flashes, and the lights are used for both finding mates and for defense. Even firefly larvae glow! Interestingly, the light that they emit produces no heat, making the light 100% efficient. Fireflies are even used for scientific purposes to study energy conversion.

As larvae, Fireflies consume other insects, including other species of Firefly. As adults however... well, no one really knows what they eat. Scientist suspect that they feed off of pollen and nectar, though they may not eat at all. Fireflies are adults only long enough to find a mate and produce eggs, so eating may not even be necessary.

Green Protea Beetle

Image from Natural Solutions

The Green Protea Beetle is one of 30,000 members of the scarab beetle family which is distinguished by heavy-bodied oblong figures, and who feed primarily on plant materials (though the Dung Beetle  side has slightly different tastes). The Green Protea Beetle is the common named for Trichostetha fasicularis, a remarkable little pollinator. They reach about 25mm in length and have a smooth black and green topside, but what drew me to them was their underside. It is covered in little brownish hairs that are used to help propagate another species - the Protea plant... which is also its namesake. (And the namesake for both goes back to Mythology yet again)

There are actually numerous types of Protea plants spreading through Africa, Asia, South America and Australia. In the country of South Africa, especially around the cape, there are numerous species of Protea, which, like many plants, require outside help to pollinate. This is where the beetle comes in. Green Protea Beetles live exclusively in the South African cape areas, and feed on the nectar of the plants. When they land on them to feed, pollen gets dusted on to their fluffy looking bellies, which then gets carried to the next meal site and dusted off... only to get more pollen brushed on, etc. etc. Other species should also get major credit for Protea pollinating, but with as many as 2,000 beetles being found on one flower head, the Green Protea Beetles definitely make an impact.

Jewel Beetle

I'm cheating a bit with this one, since there are actually something around the ballpark of 15,000 species in the Buprestidae family, but hey, they are a really interesting group of insects! They range in size (from about 4-100mm) and habitat, but they all share the common characteristic of looking shiny.

Scientists have been looking at the molecular structure of their every so shiny exoskeletons because they reflect, rather than absorb color.

One specific species, the jewel scarab Chrysina gloriosa, can actually distinguish between circularly polarized and non polarized light, and reflect circularly polarized light off of their exoskeletons. This allows them to see each other, but keeps predators from seeing them. Only one other species (a type of shrimp) is known to be sensitive to this type of light. (CP light is what movies these days are using for 3D effects, we have to wear glasses cause humans lack the natural perception)

And while we're on the topic of super neat exoskeletons, their vibrant colors have led certain cultures to use them for decorative purposes for hundreds of years. You can even buy your own beetle jewelry!

Some species are apparently able to detect fires from dozens of miles away using a sensor that detects infrared radiation from fire and other sources. They specifically need burnt firewood to breed so what better way to figure out where fires are happening? Figuring out how to mimic these sensors could have major civilian and military impacts, and all from the undersides of tiny beetles! (Interestingly, these places are a great place for them to breed because no other critters go there. Safety!)

images from hondurasbutterfly.com and treknature.com