Melyrids

are small predatory beetles that hunt small insects and pollen. The larvae are predatory too -

D. villosus

eats locusts egg pods. As you can probably guess by the colouration, poisonous. The mysterious inflatable organs this subfamily enjoy along the sides of their body are probably part of the defence system, but doesn't do them much good against poison arrow frogs and certain species of bird, who eat them for the

batrachotoxin

content and then use these EXTREMELY potent neurotoxins against their own predators. The

Hooded Pitohui

, for example, contains so much batrachotoxin in its feathers that merely handling it can make your hands go numb. And interestingly, enjoys the same colour scheme as the beetle in the photo above.

Photographed on the Marri bloodwood in my front yard, in Perth, Western Australia, while I was trying to find whatever had been doing the damage to the leaves in the background. I am

seriously