Hi Steemit family!
Beautiful green beetle
Today I bring you an insect that has always caught my attention, is really fascinating as different species of insects are located in tropical areas, where evolution has made the animals have extraordinary forms, that is the case of the green metal beetle. Come with me to learn more about this incredible species.
Its scientific name is Cotinis mutabilis and comes from the Nahuatl language that was spoken by the Mayan civilization, this amazing beetle lives in the great humid tropical forests of Central America and South America. It has a powerful very intense green color with a metallic aspect so you can appreciate several shades of green.
It is a polyphagous Coleopter although not all in its family of Scarabaeidae are the same color can also be found with other tones such as red, gray, and brown. They are equipped with powerful wings that hum very strong, in their stage of larvae can be very thick and can measure an amazing 5 centimeters, when they grow and develop totally can measure up to 4 centimeters, in its ventral part you can find in sometimes a metallic gold color, the only defect are their legs extremely short compared to other similar species, so it is common to be face up when walking in rugged places.
One of the most outstanding characteristics, while they are larvae, is that they have 6 legs that they do not use, to move around they crawl with their backs, so I do not see their legs really useful in their primary stages of life nor in their developed stage. Their diet is based on manure intake, and in adulthood, they eat different types of ripe fruit almost always than those found decomposing in the soil. In some occasions in their larval stage, they can penetrate the soil to feed occasionally on some roots.
As for their reproduction, we have that between the months of June and spring they winter until they become pupae, to develop after passing through their stages of larvae it will take about 20 days approximately.
Once the winter season is over, they come to the surface ready to mate, the act of mating happens in the mornings, females have the potential to produce an aroma that attracts males, after a week the female is ready to deposit the eggs for it digs in not very dry soil and carefully deposits up to a maximum of 40 eggs, and begins the cycle again. The eggs will be protected by soil that the female chews and compacts.
After 15 days the first larvae are feeding on the organic matter that decomposes naturally in their habitat, to reach the third stage they will molt up to 4 times their skin. I am saying that it is an insect that does not develop quickly, so it depends on its food that grows so fast to continue with its natural cycle of development.
The mystery is how they manage to generate that metallic color with reflections in various shades of green as if it were metal with litmus. Due to its color, the surrounding habitat may have allowed it to camouflage itself. Its characteristic color makes it practically undetectable, especially when it comes to the dense vegetation of humid tropical rainforests.
Thank you for reading
If you liked reading this article, feel free to FOLLOW ME, UPVOTE and RESTEEM! It's always appreciated =D. Thank you all for your support and see you soon for the news flamingirl's adventures!