Eumolpus asclepiadeus
| Distribution: | Europe |
| Size: | 9mm |
| Diet: | Leaves and roots |
I couldn’t find out much about this miniature shiny blue marvel, other than the fact that if disturbed, it releases a defensive secretion from glands on its protonum and elytra.
E.asclepiadeus is incredibly shiny, and my illustration here shows a degree of naivety which I’ve subsequently addressed in other images. You see, the bright highlights on the beetle’s elytra are actually reflections of the 2 lamps that I used to light the specimen. If I had a more sophisticated setup, I might have been able to get around this issue and present a more natural illustration of lighting, but I wanted to try and convey just how reflective this beetle is. In more recent drawings I’ve done a lot more work to balance out light, shade and reflections where I know they’ve been added by my equipment so, to me, this beetle is a reminder of how I can always improve my process.
If you want to see insects photographed with incredible even, naturalistic light, Thorben Danke’s mind-blowing macro photography is well worth a look.
Take a closer look…
