280 days of Urbpandemonium #128

[urbpan]

This tiny male wedge-shaped beetle Macrosiagon limbata* has his feathery antennae out into the air, hoping to catch the scent of a female.




She, like him, is probably on top of a flowering plant, grazing on pollen. Eventually she will lay eggs by the flowers. They will hatch into tiny grubs, who wait by the flowers for wasps that come to drink nectar. When they wasp lands, they climb on board, and ride her back to her nest, disembarking when she lays her own eggs. The beetle larva feeds within the body of the developing wasp larva. Nature is awesome.

* "Large jawed, bordered."

Comments

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

If you've never been to the Insectarium in Montreal you should totally go.... And even if you have, they've changed it about a bit since the last time I visited. Also, the Botanical Garden is pretty awesome.

Enjoying your insect posts rather a lot.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I have never been to the province of Quebec. It is an oversight. Thanks for the recommendation.

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

Also the Biodome, the indoor zoo, is fun. There will be sloths there until September or so. :-)