Family Scarabaeidae - Cotinis nitida (page 2)

Cotinis nitida (page 2)

Some further images of C. nitida.

Though an active flier, this C. nitida remained still just long enough to be photographed outdoors. It flew away immediately after this picture was taken. This species could be considered among the most beautifully coloured of all American insects. It is very hard to accurately show its true color in a photograph however, as is the case for all metallic or iridescent beetles.

In this photo you can see a slight shine off the pronotal shield. Although the dorsal surface of this beetle is covered with a fine layer of microscopic hairs, the underlying exoskeletal surface is actually very shiny, and shows through under bright light. Also visible in this image is tip of the tiny, peg-like horn at the end of the head which is common to both the male and female of this species.

Another C. nitida, this time resting on the trunk of a Melia azedarach tree. Apart from being strong fliers, they can crawl up rough vertical surfaces with great ease as well, using the small hooks (called "tarsi") at the end of each leg.

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