A female beetle lays its eggs in dead branches to protect them from predators.
Saudi photographerMofeed Abu Shalwahad an unusual entry into his chosen profession.
Shalwa has focused a large portion of his work on scarab beetles and jewel beetles.
Jewel beetle. “Also called “pure”, with its bright, colorful coat it is one of the world’s most colorful insects. A female beetle lays its eggs in dead branches to protect them from predators.”
Insects, in general, are the first creatures that appeared on Earthsince 435 million years.
For Shalwa, the adventure is all part of the journey to shed light on these incredible insects.
See more incredible macro photos of beetles by Mofeed Abu Shalwa.
Red palm weevil. “A rusty red color Weevil larvae can excavate holes in the trunk of a palm trees up to a meter long thereby weakening and eventually killing the host plant.”
Flower Beetles are a group of scarab beetles that typically feed as adults on flowers of various plants.
Cyclommatus is a genus of the Lucanidae family, also known as the stag beetle.
Phaedimus is a genus of beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae.
Copper flower beetle. “Flower Beetles are a group of scarab beetles that typically feed as adults on flowers of various plants. Although there are a few interesting species in this subfamily found in the New World, the vast majority of the large and colorful species are found in the Indo and Australian regions and Malaysia and Indonesia.”
Medium sized (preferably 20-30 millimeters), slightly oblong, more or less metallic colored gold bases.
The legs are pretty slender.
The color that changes to blue or green depending on the angle.
Prosopocoilus astacoides. “Cyclommatus is a genus of the Lucanidae family, also known as the stag beetle. The chief distinguishing characteristics of this genus are its impressive mandibles, which can sometimes be as long as its body, as well as its lustrous metallic exoskeleton, which can range from red, brown, green, purple, gold and a rarer blue-black. Male beetles of genus cyclommatus are generally larger than females of the same species, and exhibit brighter and lustrous exoskeletons compared to females.”
Most of the species live in Southeast Asia.
This unusual beetle with velvet, greenish-gold colors has red horns that resemble reindeer antlers.
This beetle is commonly known as the reindeer beetle.
Phaedimus zebuanus. “Phaedimus is a genus of beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae. Medium sized (preferably 20-30 millimeters), slightly oblong, more or less metallic colored gold bases. Males have horn-like protrusions on both the head and pronotum, which can be quite long in some species and go towards each other to form a pinch. The legs are pretty slender. The appearance of the males, with extended forelegs and horns on their heads, indicates that they are fighting for the females. The color that changes to blue or green depending on the angle. Most of the species live in Southeast Asia.”
Pronotum is oval (rounded back corners) with two glossy black stripes.
The covers have a curved, black line on the shoulders.
Females are laying eggs into soft white rotten wood.
Dicranocephalus wallichi. “This unusual beetle with velvet, greenish-gold colors has red horns that resemble reindeer antlers. This beetle is commonly known as the reindeer beetle. A medium-sized (20-32 millimeter), gray-yellow pollinated gold basin, the bottom color is black but this is usually only visible in a pair of narrow length strips on pronotum, the males have two rather long, curved, branched horns that are very similar to a deer antler. Pronotum is oval (rounded back corners) with two glossy black stripes. The covers have a curved, black line on the shoulders.”
They are members of subfamily Cetoniinae, within the family Scarabaeidae.
This is a species of dung beetle.
Eupholus is a genus of beetle in the family Curculionidae.
Green stag beetle. “Stag beetles are a group of about 1,200 species of beetles in the family Lucanidae, adolphinae is a relatively easy to breed species. Females are laying eggs into soft white rotten wood. Some females in my breeding were digging deeply into wood pieces and creating long tunnel systems before laying the eggs.”
The genus includes some of the most colorful of the weevils.
The color may serve as a warning to predators that they are distasteful.
Most species feed upon yam leaves, some of which are toxic to other animals.
Goliathus orientalis. “This beetle is one of the largest species of the genus Goliathus, with a body length of about 50–100 millimeters (2.0–3.9 in) in males, of about 50–65 millimeters (2.0–2.6 in) in females. The Goliath beetles (named after the biblical giant Goliath) are any of the five species in the genus Goliathus. Goliath beetles are among the largest insects on Earth, if measured in terms of size, bulk, and weight. They are members of subfamily Cetoniinae, within the family Scarabaeidae. Goliath beetles can be found in many of Africa’s tropical forests, where they feed primarily on tree sap and fruit.”
The species occur in New Guinea and adjacent islands.
This genus was described by French entomologist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Dechauffour de Boisduval in 1835.
Jewel Beetles
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Oxysternon conspicillatum. “This is a species of dung beetle. It is widespread and common in both evergreen and deciduous forests of Central America and northern South America, and generally sticks to lowland, dry tropical and bamboo forests. The larvae feed on fungi, decaying organic matter, and other organic materials found in dung balls or carrion.”
Eupholus weevil. “Eupholus is a genus of beetle in the family Curculionidae. The genus includes some of the most colorful of the weevils. The color may serve as a warning to predators that they are distasteful. Most species feed upon yam leaves, some of which are toxic to other animals. The species occur in New Guinea and adjacent islands. This genus was described by French entomologist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Dechauffour de Boisduval in 1835.”
Jewel Beetles
