Found this colorful beetle in my greenhouse. Thought it was dead until I picked it up and it's legs moved sluggishly. Body is metalic green with a bronzey red "head sheild" and curved black horn. Handsome fella.
CLOSED: Jewled toned beetle
head on veiw
whoops wrong picture
This is a male scarab beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the genus Phanaeus; likely Phanaeus vindex - see http://tinyurl.com/ycgfypc for images and more information. Beetles in this genus often are called 'rainbow scarabs' or 'rainbow dung beetles.'
He is beauty. Is he dying or just dormant in the winter cold? I found him in an empty flower pot. If he's dying,I'd like to preserve him some way.
P
Females may live for more than a year, but I am uncertain about males. If it dies, you can preserve it by carefully inserting an insect pin vertically through the right wing cover (elytron - see http://tinyurl.com/y8rkjbs), then sticking the end of the pin in a cork or similar substrate and letting it air dry for several days. It then should be safe to place it in an insect-proof box for permanent storage.display. Alternatively, it could be placed in a glass-topped case known as a Riker mount (see http://tinyurl.com/5zrvao), but this would allow viewing only one side of the beetle.
I like the glass dome. Think I'll see if I can find one localy.
Thanks for your help.
P
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