Acrocinus longimanus
| Distribution: | South America |
| Size: | 76mm body |
| Diet: | Wood, bark, fungi & sap |
Harlequin beetles are probably best known for their incredibly long forelegs, from which they get the second half of their latin name – Manus meaning foreleg and Longi meaning, perhaps unsurprisingly, long.
But why would these beetles need such long legs? Surely they’d get in the way and make them easier to be plucked up by predators? Well, these giant legs serve a purpose – harlequin males use them to fight rivals over possible mating territories. To do this, they try to hook their opponent and flick them away, like a small six-legged catapult.
When photographing the specimen ready to draw I was surprised to see that the orange and yellow markings on the beetle’s elytra are comprised of extremely fine fur.
Take a closer look…
