Friday Beetle Blogging: Priacma Bleach Beetle

priacma9

Priacma serrata - Bleach Beetle

California

Priacma serrata is an enigmatic insect from the conifer forests of western North America and is one of a handful of species belonging to the relictual beetle suborder Archostemata.  It is often thought of as a "living fossil", bearing a strong resemblance to the earliest known beetles that pre-date even the dinosaurs.

Males are attracted to the scent of bleach, presumably because it resembles a female pheromone, and are sometimes collected off air-drying laundry.  In spite of its unique evolutionary position, the biology of Priacma has not been adequately studied.

priacma1

photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS D60

ISO 100, f/13, 1/200 sec, flash diffused through tracing paper

More like this

Aww. I wish I could attract Archostomata with my laundry. In Toronto that's about as likely as... um, very unlikely.

I never see much about these guys, thanks for the post.