#antennae

Onychocerus albitarsis, commonly known as the scorpion beetle, is a species of cerambycid beetle found only in the rainforests of South America. This beetle has a very unusual defense mechanism: its long, slender antennae are equipped with stinging organs that are remarkably similar to scorpion stingers, and they can deliver a venomous sting that causes pain and inflammation in humans.

Above: a close-up of the stinger on a scorpion beetle's antenna

Onychocerus albitarsis is the only known example of a beetle with a venomous sting, and it's the only arthropod that is known to have stingers on its antennae.

This article describes the stinging apparatus in greater detail:

The terminal antennal segment of Onychocerus albitarsis has two pores opening into channels leading to the tip through which the secretion is delivered. The delivery system is almost identical to that found in the stinger of a deadly buthid scorpion.

Like social hymenoptera, the stings are administered in defense. This defense strategy would not be of assistance during the imperiled immature stages, but would probably be directed towards vertebrate predators of adult cerambycids, including birds, lizards, or even monkeys.

Above: Onychocerus albitarsis

The adult beetles typically measure about 14-21mm long. This species is known to inhabit certain parts of Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru.

Sources & More Info:

Naturwissenschaften: Convergent Evolution in the Antennae of a Cerambycid Beetle, Onychocerus albitarsis, and the Sting of a Scorpion (PDF)

Journal of Clinical Toxicology: Envenomations in Humans Caused by the Venomous Beetle Onychocerus albitarsis

Toxicon: Entomo-Venomics: the Evolution, Biology, and Biochemistry of Insect Venoms (PDF)

Middle East Research Journal of Medical Sciences: Characteristics of Venomous Coleopterans (PDF)

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