Greetings fellow Foxies,
I was asked about this beetle today – Rhicipera femorata.
The large radar-like antennae only occurs on males that greatly outnumber the females, which are otherwise similar. The larva, a grub that burrows through the ground and eating cicada larva pupates into beetles that mass in groups around their females about this time. The antennae are used to detect pheromones (sexy smells) emitted by eligible females.
While all males are noted for sexual proclivities, beetles take this to a whole new level, often with mass orgies involving much jostling and no shame in public places. As they have a short mating period one can forgive them, and they are very entertaining.
Apparently they are normally rare and occur mainly in the eastern states with an outlier shown in Perth.
I have seen them before in Narrogin but they were dive bombing my Perth-based daughter on a visit here last week.
I was asked about this beetle today – Rhicipera femorata.
The large radar-like antennae only occurs on males that greatly outnumber the females, which are otherwise similar. The larva, a grub that burrows through the ground and eating cicada larva pupates into beetles that mass in groups around their females about this time. The antennae are used to detect pheromones (sexy smells) emitted by eligible females.
While all males are noted for sexual proclivities, beetles take this to a whole new level, often with mass orgies involving much jostling and no shame in public places. As they have a short mating period one can forgive them, and they are very entertaining.
Apparently they are normally rare and occur mainly in the eastern states with an outlier shown in Perth.
I have seen them before in Narrogin but they were dive bombing my Perth-based daughter on a visit here last week.
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