Africa Wild

Large Copper Dung Beetle Scarabaeus (Kheper) nigroaeneus
Family: Scarabaeidae. Subfamily: Scarabaeinae. Tribe: Scarabaeini


Orpen camp, Kruger National Park, Dec 2020 © RogerFraser

© Sprocky
Kruger National Park

© BluTuna

© BluTuna

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park, S28

Distribution
Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Transvaal, Cape, Free State, Natal).

Habitat
Savannah and woodland. Warm to hot summer rainfall areas of South Africa.

Biology
Diurnal ball-rolling dung beetle. Adults are active from October to April. Body temperature of males raised before fighting over females. Adults cut portions from fresh dung of various mammals. Pairs often cooperate in constructing a brood ball and bury the brood ball of dung into which an egg is laid. Females care for the brood and remain with the offspring for about 12 weeks. These beetles overwinter as adults and can live for two or more years.
The beetles use their balls of poo as a portable AC unit. The ball has an average temperature of 32° C and it cools down the sand the beetle steps on by 1.5° C. During midday, when the beetle’s front legs and head get hotter, the beetle climbs onto the ball, which is very moist, to cool down.

Links:
Dung beetles use their dung ball as a mobile thermal refuge PDF)


Mkuze, KZN © RogerFraser

Ground Spitting Beetle Anthia cinctipennis Oogpister
Family: Carabidae. Subfamily: Anthiinae

© nan

© nan
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

As their name implies, nearly all ground beetles are incapable of flight. They rely mainly on their speed to escape. There are several species of medium to large (20mm - 50mm) black beetles, often with white or cream warning markings. They are flightless, fast running predators of any small animal they can overpower.
Ground beetles of the genus Anthia and related genera secrete an abdominal substance of some organic acid, for example formic acid, which they are able to squirt out in a strong jet at an attacker. The jet has has a range of up to 30cm and can blind a small domestic animal if not treated immediately. the substance can also harm the human eye and causes severe pain if it touches the skin. A warning, dont pick up this beetle as it can give you a nasty bite.
Ground beetles are fierce predators and prey on insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars.
They are extremely territorial and will not hesitate to defend their terriory against any other beetles wishing to use the same hunting ground.

Description
Body size massive, length of male 41.3–43.8 mm (exclusive of mandibles), length of female 43.5-48.8 mm. Integument black. It has a band of white setae along the lateral margins of the elytra. Pronotum lacking lateral patches of white, yellow, or brown setae; aedeagus narrow, elongate.

Distribution
Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga Provinces and the Kalahari Transfrontier Park and other areas in Northern Cape Province.

Links: The genus Anthia Weber in the Republic of South Africa, Identification, distribution, biogeography, and behavior

© ExFmem
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Whirligig Beetle possibly Dineutus grossus grossus
Family: Gyrinidae. Subfamily: Enhydrinae

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park

Description
13- 14 mm.
Whirligig Beetles are fast swimmers on the surface of pools in rivers and other bodies of water.

Geographical distribution
Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Swaziland, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Northern Province, Northwest Province, to Zimbabwe.

Links:
https://www.ru.ac.za/media/rhodesuniver ... nidae.html
Roy Lubke, Irene J. De Moor: Field Guide to the Eastern and Southern Cape Coasts
http://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/be ... n%20Africa.

Dirttok Eurychora sp.
Family Tenebrionidae. Subfamily Pimeliinae. Tribe Adelostomini




Namaqualand

© ExFmem

© ExFmem

© ExFmem
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Description
The body is oval with acute and ciliated edges; the thorax semicircular, and receives the head into an anterior emargination, the abdomen almost cordiform. The antennae are composed of linear joints, compressed or angular, the third joint is longer than the preceeding and following joints.


Biology
The Eurychora beetle uses sand particles for camouflage; it produces a fluffy web on the elytra to which debris adheres, effectively camouflaging the animal. These slow moving, ground-dwelling tenebrionid beetles are covered with sparse long hairs, which help to trap and hold a layer of sand and other debris as camouflage.

Racing-stripe Ground Beetle Stenocara gracilipes
Family: Tenebrionidae. Subfamily: Tentyriinae. Tribe: Adesmiini


Augrabies Falls National Park

Description
14-20 mm with very long legs.

Distribution
Namibia, South Africa.

Habitat
Arid regions: Karoo and Namib desert.

Diet
It is an omnivorous detritivore, but also eats flowers and dry cruticular fragments of insects. The beetle is able to survive by collecting water on its bumpy back surface from early morning fogs.

Biology
A diurnal species.

Lunate Blister Beetle Decapotoma lunata
Family: Meloidae

© leachy
Feeding on Ecklon's Blue Commelina, Kruger National Park

Blister beetles are Coleoptera of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. There are approximately 7,500 known species worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators.

© Super Mongoose
Vaalkop Dam Nature reserve, North West Province
Mating pair in copulation with the bottom one hanging from the top one and when they flew off, they were still attached The male's aedeagus has sharp spines which engage the females vaginal wall

Large Wattle Chafer Pegylis (Hypopholis) sommeri
Family Scarabaeidae. Subfamily Melolonthinae. Tribe Melolonthini

© BluTuna

© BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg


Links:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... c/download

Striped Lady Beetle Cheilomenes propinqua
Family Coccinellidae. Subfamily Coccinellinae. Tribe Coccinellini

© BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg

Tailed Net-winged Beetle Lycus trabeatus
Family: Lycidae

© BluTuna

© BluTuna

© BluTuna

© BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg

Description
Tailed Net-winged Beetles reach a length of about 22–31mm. The pronotum has a black center and orange edges. The elytra are black at their bases, on the apical lobes, and sometimes along the dilated edges. Elytra are variable in shape, from widely expanded with a constriction towards the apical lobe, to intermediate or slender. The black antennae are mildly serrate. Femora are orange and the lower legs are black.

Spotted Blister Beetle Ceroctis capensis
Family: Meloidae. Subfamily: Meloinae. Tribe Mylabrini.

© nan
Northern Cape

These poisonous beetles contain cantharidin, which can blister the skin.