Day 11 of posting cute creatures we found on our field trip:
Morimus funereus is a big, adorable beetle with super long antennae. It’s completely harmless and feeds only on plant juices. This species is most common, but there are two more of its cousins here.
Rosalia alpina looks like smaller, slimmer and overall more elegant blue Morimus. This bug was deemed prized possession by insect collectors in 19th century and that destroyed this poor beetle’s populations. Today this species is protected and cannot be collected without special permits. We let it go after taking a pic.
Morimus verecundus were having some sexy times when we found them. These beetles look a lot like M. funereus, but they have that yellowish ring behind their head. Can you see it?
