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Fig Eater Beetle on Finger

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Description

I really like this one because you can see it's pincers. And specially that it looks really pissed off and ready to bite. But in reality is was simply cleaning it self (and no that is not my finger)

:butterfly: You ask if they bite? Well they don't. But according to my brother this one did decided to bite him. So what gives? well it's quite simple really. This guys will eat only fruit and sap from trees and even delicious nectar, they never eat other insects or anything meat. But that doesn't mean they know if your a fruit or not, of if they feel threaten it could be they'll bite you. Just cuz they say they don't bite doesn't mean they can't. For a few seconds I did manage to have this one crawl on my hand before it flew off. :)

And what flower was this buggy on when I took the pic? On a Gladiolus flower, they seem to be very fond of it. I had a bunch crawling around it.
Well enough of this, here is some real cool fun facts about them!

:bulletyellow:READ AND LEARN KIDDIES::bulletyellow:

They are called Figeater beetle - Cotinis mutabilis (AKA “Fig Beetle”, the "Green Fruit Beetle" and “Junebug/Beetle”). The Figeater is generally found later in the year in August and September, while the Green June Beetle generally flies in July. The Fig Beetle Is a member of the scarab beetle family. Its habitat is primarily the southwestern United States and Mexico. Figeater beetles are often mistaken for green June beetles -> Cotinis nitida (and the Japanese beetles -> Popillia japonica); however, they do not damage lawns and fruit crops like their eastern cousins.

According to Charles Hogue in his book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, was: “Originally native to Arizona and New Mexico, it gradually spread westward and became noticeable in the Los Angeles area after the 1960s.”

Adult Figeater Beetles grow to approximately 1.25 inches (3 cm). They are a dull green on the top and a brilliant iridescent green on the underside and legs. They are active during daylight hours, often congregating in the shade of trees near choice breeding grounds to find mates. They make a loud buzzing sound similar to that of carpenter bees.

When in larvae (commonly called "crawly backs"), grow up to 2 inches (5 cm) and are thick and white with a dark head. They have six small, ineffectual legs to move, they roll onto their backs and propel themselves upside down, using the stiff dark hairs on their backs to gain traction. At rest, they curl into a firm C shape.

TECHNICAL
My camera... duh
Lens - Tokina Macro 100mm
SOURCE OF INFO - BugGuide: [link] What's That Bug: [link] Wikipedia: [link]
And lastly my cat as a "Wacka em so I can grab em" (does using my cat count as technical?)

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:bulletred:NOTE: Feel free to use as stock. Just make sure to tell me.
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Image size
4752x3168px 10.2 MB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Shutter Speed
1/128 second
Aperture
F/3.2
Focal Length
100 mm
ISO Speed
3200
Date Taken
Jul 19, 2011, 12:20:19 PM
Comments4
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I was battling one of these guys the other day for like 5 minutes - it was intent on landing on me. Finally it settled for landing on my hand and i was admiring it and examining it closely, until i noticed the little mouthpieces moving around and i suddenly thought "do they bite?" ... and not wanting to risk it, i shook it off :( Next time i will know better! Thanks for the good information about them.