Never know what you're going to find in the NCSU Insect Collection! 🔎 This very charismatic #beetle was among many interesting specimens in unsorted drawers. 🔬 Anyone want to guess the family? #Coleoptera - ThreadSky

bertonemyia.bsky.social • 15 days ago

Never know what you're going to find in the NCSU Insect Collection! 🔎 This very charismatic #beetle was among many interesting specimens in unsorted drawers. 🔬

Anyone want to guess the family?
#Coleoptera

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Comments

wayneriekhof.bsky.social•14 days ago

Without looking at the other responses first I'll say Elateridae? The hinge gives it away (if I'm right) or is super confusing (if I'm wrong.)

wayneriekhof.bsky.social•14 days ago

Aaaaaand I thought that side profile looked like the hinge of a click beetle but I was wrong!

2elytra.bsky.social•15 days ago

Oh my!!!

cspohn.bsky.social•15 days ago

well, no one else is chiming in, so i'll be the first to get it absolutey wrong... elateridae?!

raspbooty.bsky.social•15 days ago

I should have dug around in the leaf litter more 😭 i was just in Pune two months ago.. i missed out on Cool Bugs

bertonemyia.bsky.social•14 days ago

***THE ANSWER***
It's a darkling beetle, #Tenebrionidae (of course)! The group (Cossyphodini) is associated with ants. Aaron Smith provided some extra info in the comments; below is a plate of some from S. Africa showing their amazing specialized morphology: https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/images/e/e2/Schawaller%2C_2013.pdf