Flashmob! Has anyone seen this before?

Wicked_Dark

This poor bug landed on the deck railing, struggling and writhing to get these mites off. At least I think they're mites. I tried to help, but they didn't budge. I think it's some kind of leaf cutter type beetle (about an inch long), but it was hard to tell. It flew off eventually, but I think it was doomed. Shot with the OM 90mm f2 macro. Because the besieged critter didn't stop moving, it was really hard to photograph and I had to keep the lens basically wide open to focus at all, thus the really shallow DOF.

Antonio Correia

Incredible ! These are parasites aren't they ?

Show this to Lord Vetinari. He may know something about this.

Lord Vetinari

Good capture- It has got rather a lot of passengers !
Supposedly these are phoretic mites meaning they are just using the beetle as public transport rather than directly parasitising the beetle but an overload like this might kill the beetle by preventing normal feeding activity or even perhaps blocking it's air breathing holes.

Brian V.

Wicked_Dark

Good info, thanks. I rather hope they weren't killing it. It was quite distressed, but managed to get the carapace open and the wings moving so maybe it could still function. Bad about the breathing holes...I forget the proper term for them, something-icles? Anyway, I hope it lived.

jax

Trachea is the word you are searching for I think.:-)

Cool image!

hgernhardtjr

jax wrote: »

Trachea is the word you are searching for I think.:-)

Cool image!

Nope, that's inside. "Spiracles" are the breathing holes of the bug.

Wicked_Dark

Ah, thanks, hgernhardtjr, I knew I was on the right track. Spiracles indeed.

GOLDENORFE

never seen that many on a bug before!

you could have wiped them offf:D

Wicked_Dark

I actually did try, Phil, but to no avail.

Wicked_Dark

Update -
thanks to a contact on flickr who posted an informational link about what's happening in the photo, I now know this is a beneficial parasitic relationship.

It seems that carrion beetles (that's what it is under there) are slow fliers and often show up to corpses late to dinner. By then all manner of fly species have already been there, done that and laid their eggs. The eggs may have already hatched, too, and maggots are something carrion flies don't deal with well at all. Enter the secret weapon - the mites. They scurry off the beetle and onto the corpse and eat fly eggs and larva, thus clearing the way for the carrion beetle to dine. Absolutely fascinating. I've seen nude carrion beetles before, but never one with mites. I leaned something and I love that. Thought I'd share.