Transvestite Rove Beetle

Description:

I don't know whether the common name "transvestite" is generally recognised. It is fitting, however, as males are aggressively territorial and will fight off other males from the dung patches on which they hunt and mate. Smaller males usually don't stand a chance in battle and will therefore mimic females to avoid aggression and mate unnoticed by the dominant males. The beetle's camouflage helps it hunt flies on dung. It will wag the conspicuous yellow tip of its abdomen in order to distract the fly, and then grab it with its powerful jaws.

Habitat:

Forest in the Sierra Gorda in central Mexico.

Notes:

Here's an interesting article about the female mimicry of this species: https://link.springer.com/article/10.100...