Subject: beetle
Geographic location of the bug: bel air md
Date: 06/30/2019
Time: 01:49 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: what is this beetle and what is coming out of its butt?
How you want your letter signed: Peg
Female Broad-Necked Root Borer
Dear Peg,
In July 2011, we designated the female Broad-Necked Root Borer, Prionus laticollis, as the Bug of the Month, and we believe enough time has elapsed to select your submission as our Bug of the Month for July 2019. The ovipositor, an organ used for laying eggs, is protruding from the end of her abdomen. According to iNaturalist: “The female is larger than the male, with an ovipositor used to deposit eggs. When the female is laying eggs, she “shivers” and eggs are laid through the ovipositor, positioned down into the soil or under litter, usually in groups of threes and twos, but sometimes ones or fours. After the eggs are laid, the female moves her ovipositor up and down to fill the hole she created. When freshly laid, the eggs are pure white, glistening with moisture, but, after a while, they usually change to a deep yellow. Within a few days, the deep yellow eggs turn to a light washed pink. As the larvae develop inside, the eggs turn ivory in color. The eggs are the size of small grains of rice. When the larvae are hatching, they chew through one of the elongated, pointed sides of the egg. The larvae’s heads are adapted for digging into the soil, and they have strong black mandibles for chewing roots.”
wow… how cool! thanks for your response!
Peg
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