Tags
beetle, coleoptera, curculionidae, drawings, elytra, Haldane, insects, pun, watchmaker, weevil
The lesser of two weevils?
Did you know that there are more species of Coleoptera (the order of beetles) than any other animal order? And there are more species in the beetle family Curculionidae (weevils) than any other family of animals!
There is a famous quote from the biologist JSB Haldane that, after all his years of studying nature, one thing he had learned about the creator was that he had an “inordinate fondness for beetles.”
Hey, so do I! This is one thing we have in common.
Beetles are built like tanks…their front two wings have been modified into hard shells called ‘elytra’, which lock together when closed, sealing the fragile membranous wings and the delicate abdomen within a hard casing. When a beetle locks down, it tucks its antennae into grooves, pulls it’s legs under its body and becomes practically untouchable.
The beetle has to hold its heavy elytra up when flying, and they make it difficult for a beetle to fly well (especially compared to, say, a fly), which is why it is so easy to snatch a beetle out of the air.
When I look at a beetle, I think of all of the intricate details in their anatomy, it reminds me of a fine construction by a watchmaker. They look so mechanical.
Real beetles with imaginary modifications
