Subject: Black and White Darling Beetle?
Geographic location of the bug: Corona, CA
Date: 03/17/2019
Time: 08:45 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I can’t find any information on white Darkling beetles. This beetle does the classic tail in the air when threatened pose.
How you want your letter signed: JohnD
Dear JohnD,
The piebald markings on your Acrobat Beetle or Stink Beetle in the Eleodes, a genus well represented on BugGuide, do not seem naturally occurring to us. Also, the markings appear to be layered, with a whiter coloration on top of a creamier coloration. Is it possible this Acrobat Beetle had an encounter with a paint brush? We will continue to research this matter.
Hi Daniel,
We thought that same thing at first. However, we were not able to carefully scrape off any of the white and cream color like we would have been able to if it were paint. Additionally, we found him quite far from houses in a river bed/ravine location. Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for the bug, we have a standing order for our 9 year old to safely release all bugs after taking a short look at them. We will look around near where he released it to see if we can find it again and get to the bottom of the mystery.
Thanks!