A New Cool Beetle, Pt. 2 - _TNY_4674
On my second visit to the Mjällådalen nature reserve, the rain was not far away - and eventually it really opened up, forcing us to return home. But befor that, we (me and my son) explored another sand bank in the river and managed to find a couple more of the tiny peacock beetles (Elaphrus)!
One of them (an E. cupreus) was a real runner though and I was unable to get a single photo of it even after following it for several meters (which is quite a distance when you're 6 mm long).
That's when I aborted my attempts though as Daniel called out that he had found another one - and it was staying still.
It really was still so we proceeded to get several really nice shots of it, but it wasn't until we got home that I realised that this wasn't a peacock beetle. Instead it is a species known as Bembidion litorale. It lacks an English name, but the Swedish one is "brokig spegellöpare", meaning something like "motley mirror-runner". The mirror part stems from the four rectangular "mirrors" on the elytra - something the peacock beetle have as well which is why I misidentified it at first.
This specimen was about 6 mm in length as well (or .24" if you're using the freedoms per eagle system) and was photographed at 3.7:1 magnification - enough for the very fine pitting on the body to be visible.
Part 1 (at 2.7:1 mag) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53039100183/
A New Cool Beetle, Pt. 2 - _TNY_4674
On my second visit to the Mjällådalen nature reserve, the rain was not far away - and eventually it really opened up, forcing us to return home. But befor that, we (me and my son) explored another sand bank in the river and managed to find a couple more of the tiny peacock beetles (Elaphrus)!
One of them (an E. cupreus) was a real runner though and I was unable to get a single photo of it even after following it for several meters (which is quite a distance when you're 6 mm long).
That's when I aborted my attempts though as Daniel called out that he had found another one - and it was staying still.
It really was still so we proceeded to get several really nice shots of it, but it wasn't until we got home that I realised that this wasn't a peacock beetle. Instead it is a species known as Bembidion litorale. It lacks an English name, but the Swedish one is "brokig spegellöpare", meaning something like "motley mirror-runner". The mirror part stems from the four rectangular "mirrors" on the elytra - something the peacock beetle have as well which is why I misidentified it at first.
This specimen was about 6 mm in length as well (or .24" if you're using the freedoms per eagle system) and was photographed at 3.7:1 magnification - enough for the very fine pitting on the body to be visible.
Part 1 (at 2.7:1 mag) here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/53039100183/