Hister Beetle (Psiloscelis perpunctata)
Psiloscelis perpunctata (J. L. LeConte, 1880). Found at Wood County SWA in central Wisconsin. Wood County, Wisconsin, USA.
This is a very uncommonly encountered species of myrmecophilous hister beetle.
Found with a rather timid species of Formica ants under a chunk of wood at forest edge on side of road. When I flipped the wood chunk over the ants all hid or retreated down the nest hole. So unfortunately no shots of interaction with the ants. These beetles retract their antennae and legs when disturbed and then play dead.
Single exposure, uncropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie and plastic cup diffuser.
Hister Beetle (Psiloscelis perpunctata)
Psiloscelis perpunctata (J. L. LeConte, 1880). Found at Wood County SWA in central Wisconsin. Wood County, Wisconsin, USA.
This is a very uncommonly encountered species of myrmecophilous hister beetle.
Found with a rather timid species of Formica ants under a chunk of wood at forest edge on side of road. When I flipped the wood chunk over the ants all hid or retreated down the nest hole. So unfortunately no shots of interaction with the ants. These beetles retract their antennae and legs when disturbed and then play dead.
Single exposure, uncropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie and plastic cup diffuser.