The Florida tortoise beetle (Hemisphaerota cyanea). When I first saw this tiny blue speck on a palmetto leaf at Okeeheelee Park in West Palm Beach, FL I thought it was a bird dropping. But it wasnt until I gave it a little push that I realized it was a beetle. After reading about it, like so many insects, it is a fascinating little creature. Despite being tiny, it was very difficult to pull off the leaf. But after reading a little bit about it, thats because its tarsi are greatly modified to adhere to surfaces. Each one has approximately 10,000 adhesive bristles. Here is some more information about the beetle from the University of Florida (entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/palms/hemisphaerota_cyanea.htm). Visit Bug Addiction for your daily insect fix @ https://facebook/BugAddictionConfessionsOfABugAddict
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 09:51:43 +0000
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