The beetle from hell

Most of my insect shots come from my back yard, where I often walk around picking up objects and seeing what I could find. One recent day, I was rather excited to find this interesting little bugger.

At first I thought it was a type of earwig as they look somewhat similar.

This dead earwig was found in our house and was the first insect I ever shot with my then new MP-E 65.

However, all earwigs that I had seen had the typical red head and longer pincers on the end. I was a bit puzzled what this bug was. Even more peculiar was how it raised its tail as if it were a scorpion. Initially, I really thought it meant to sting me, though I doubted that it had the capacity. Here’s a closer look at it.

So I posted the pictures on a forum where there are people more knowledgeable about insects than I, and I found out that this is a type of rove beetle called the “Devils’ Coach Horse Beetle”. I felt that was a rather odd name for a beetle, so I decided to do some research. Wikipedia actually had an article about it and I found out some fascinating information.

1. The beetle originates from the British Isles, where it is the largest beetle found. It has migrated and become more common in North America but it is not native to our continent.
2. It received its name because it eats carrion and in medieval times people believed the devil would take the form of this bug to eat sinners.
3. As I thought, it does not have the capacity to sting you. However, it supposedly can bite you and inflict pain. Generally I do not pick up bugs with my bare hands though, so there was little worry of that happening. Supposedly carpenter ants can bite too, and I have photographed tons of them from mere millimeters and never have I been bitten.
4. They are natural predators of slugs and snails, so it is not too bad to have them around. Unfortunately they also eat earthworms, which I would much rather they leave alone.

This final photo was the closest I got. Knowing that I had some decent photos, I then let the beetle get back to its business.

Certainly since beginning insect photography I have learned quite a bit. There are a number of others species out there that I have no clue about, but with each new critter I unearth I learn a little bit more.

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Tags: beetle, devil's coach horse beetle, learning, macro, photography, rove beetle