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Trichodes leucopsideus
Checkered beetle on a sheep's bit Scabious flower. This is one of the most beautiful beetles in Europe, thanks to the colorful metallic blue of its body and its elytra, which show alternating irregular cross bands of intense red and black or dark violet. The first band on the chest, red, has two important black dots on the "shoulders" that allow us to identify it completely. They barely exceed one and a half cm in length. Adults prefer meadows with variety of multicolored flowers, where they occupy the umbels of various plants, from where they hunt insects that approach unwary, and also feed on nectar and pollen. Females lay eggs in the nests of wild bees and sometimes in honey bee honey combs, where the larvae will feed on the bee pups. However, the number of these beetles is so low that the damage they can cause is negligible.
Spotted in open Mediterranean forest with Holm oaks and pine trees. Dehesa de Valdelatas
Camera Model: NIKON D500. Exposure Time: 1/500 sec.; f/11; ISO Speed Rating: 635. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm. No flash fired. DSC_4011
Spotted on May 31, 2019
Submitted on Oct 9, 2019
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