"The Creator, if He exists, must have had an inordinate fondness for beetles." -J.B.S Haldane
Strange things are afoot here in late-summer Buenos Aires. Over the past few weeks there has been a beetle invasion!
I found this beauty in the pool-of-death a few weeks ago. We are constantly rescuing bugs, beetles, bees, and other unfortunate souls that fall into the pool (thankfully, no more possums though). I was sure this one was dead and put him on the window sill to dry so I could keep him around to admire.
Still trying to figure out what species this is. For now, "some type of beetle" will have to do.
But the next morning he was moving! So I put him in one of my Chinese cricket cages to show Milan and keep him around for a little longer. After the little guy squeezed through the bars of his cell, Milan and I decided a beetle with such a recovery and escape deserves freedom. I hope he is still living somewhere in the garden.
Last week I rescued eight little black beetles from the pool in the evening. They were all still alive and were gone the next morning.
No, they don't bite. Nor do they carry rabies.
This week on the running trail near the river I have noticed more than a few big black rhinoceros-looking beetles. I stopped more than once to turn some over who were stranded on their backs. On Monday I took my bug jar on the run with me and came home with this guy:
Male Diloboderus abderus. What, don't you run with beetles in your pocket?
The coolest thing about this Bicho Torito (little bull bug) is that his horn is on a hinge, so he can move it back to connect with the protrusion on his back. Kind of like a carabiner. After reading
this site, and the
Wiki on these guys, I got even more excited. I think all those small black beetles I rescued from the pool the week before were the females of the same species. The females can fly, but the males can't. The males have horns, but the females do not. And the adults don't eat, they just run around and fight with each other and mate, lay eggs, and die within 50 days. I thought this would make the perfect pet, one that we don't have to feed, but alas he died after only two days in his cage. Maybe I caught him at the end of his 50 days, or maybe the dining room table is not the optimal habitat.
Yesterday I found this guy on the school grounds while waiting to pick up Milan after school.
Another "some type of beetle" classification unknown
I kind of made an impression on the other moms waiting to pick up their pre-schoolers. Shock and disgust mostly. One even said "I hope you have your rabies shots up to date!" But I just laughed and showed him to all of the pre-kinder kids (who were also in shock, I think). Milan, the only kid willing to touch the beetle, was so excited for his "Valentine's present" from his mom.
I am sorry to say that this beetle died yesterday too. Okay, no more beetles on the dining room table. We'll stick to a catch-photograph-and-release protocol.
"It seems therefore that a taste for collecting beetles is some indication of future success in life."
- Charles Darwin
