Aposematic colors Eleodes sp., the Stink or Pinacate Beetle The only purpose of warning colors targeting potential predators is to be impressive, recognizable and memorable. Not all aposematic colorations are geared towards day-active, color-seeing birds, lizards or humans. Many insects are most active during dusk and dawn, the time when all cats are gray, meaning that colors become rather invisible. The crepuscular Pinacate or Stink Beetle is solid black. But its habitat has lots of open space with light colored sand. So its black shape stands out very well. The beetle adds an aposematic behavioral signal by standing on its head when threatened. This also allows the content of two big glands that eject at its rear to run down over its whole body. And the collectors hands. The signal of big black beetle walking intermittently and tending to stand on its head is so successful that it is imitated by several non-smelly darkling beetles, a very smelly, but rarer ground beetle, and by big black flight-less, harmless Cactus Longhorns.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 19:58:23 +0000
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