#panagaeus

#365Insects 110: #Panagaeus cruciger Say, 1823 As an undergrad, Charles Darwin, who died on this day in 1882, was out collecting beetles one day when he came across 2 Ground Beetles which he collected, one in each bare hand. It was then that he spotted the rare #Panagaeus cruxmajor, a species very similar to this more common North American species. With both hands already full of beetles and a real prize sitting right before his eyes, Darwin popped a beetle from his hand into his mouth, and was reaching for the #Panagaeus when the beetle in his mouth expelled defensive chemicals, causing Darwin to spit it out, and losing all three of his prizes in the process. (at University of Guelph)