Just Brilliant - _TNY_8906
This very shiny little guy (or girl) is a brilliant click beetle (Selatosomus aeneus).
It was hangning out on the side of my mother-in-law's garage when I was chasing jumping spiders so I snuck in a couple of shots of it as well.
Click beetles have gotten their name because of how they can use a special spine on their underside which has a matching notch on the next body segment. They can force the spine into the notch, creating a pretty significant "click" which can throw the entire beetle in the air. This is used as a way to escape predators, but also to right itself when getting stuck on its back.
Just Brilliant - _TNY_8906
This very shiny little guy (or girl) is a brilliant click beetle (Selatosomus aeneus).
It was hangning out on the side of my mother-in-law's garage when I was chasing jumping spiders so I snuck in a couple of shots of it as well.
Click beetles have gotten their name because of how they can use a special spine on their underside which has a matching notch on the next body segment. They can force the spine into the notch, creating a pretty significant "click" which can throw the entire beetle in the air. This is used as a way to escape predators, but also to right itself when getting stuck on its back.