What's up frens!
Back with yet another one of those strange animals I love to share. Today I have an odd looking beetle and it's by far the weirdest beetle I have ever seen! It is just so un...beetle like!
Let's first start with some pics
If you ask me it looks a bit like a horseshoe crab but with hair 😂
So, what you see depicted above is a Hairy Pie-dish Beetle, scientifically described as Helea perforata.
Much like many other odd looking creatures, this little fella is native to Australia, mostly found in the dry regions of southwestern Australia.
Adults are about 2 cm long and as you can see from the photos above, the species is distinguished by the hair-like setae covering the fused wing covers.
In case you wonder, the hair like setae and the fused wing covers create a microenvironment that aids in moisture retention, a trait that is much needed advantageous in the dry places they inhabit.
Essentially, the hair helps the moisture condense and then the fused wings collect the water and drive it to the mouth. Smart design!
Here's the only video I could find showing an individual in action:
It looks like something from a totally different time era doesnt it? As if it was something we would only know from fossils or whatever!
Nothing much else notable to say about the critter other than boring semantics. Feel free to search Google though, if you'd like to learn more!
Here's one last photo for your viewing pleasure:
Ok, this is it for today!
As always, see you soon with more crazy wonders of mother nature!
Posted Using INLEO
