Insectfactopedia: May 2012

Pinacate Beetle

God’s Wonderful Design Revealed

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Arthropoda

Class Insecta

Order Coleoptera

Suborder Polyphaga

Superfamily Tenebrionoidea

Family Tenebrionidae

Genus Eleodes

The pinacate beetle, also known as the stink beetle, is a species of darkling beetle in the genus Eleodes endemic to the Sonoran Desert and adjacent regions of the U.S. Southwest and Mexico, usually the species Eleodes obscurus. Other common names are stinkbugs or clown beetles (names also applied to other unrelated insects). Eleodes, derived from the Greek term for "olivelike" describes the general body shape and jet black coloration. Darkling is a common name applied to several genera and over 1400 species within the family Tenebrionidae. Pinacate comes from the Aztec pinacatl, for "black beetle." Stinkbug refers to the malodorous secretion emitted from the insect’s rear end. Clown beetle alludes to the habit of these beetles to do a "headstand" when threatened.

Pinacate beetles are well known for their comical, yet effective, defense tactics which God has given them. When alarmed they stand on their heads by bending their front legs down and extending their rear legs. Depending upon the species, they exude an oily, musty secretion, which collects at the tip of the abdomen or spreads over posterior parts of the body, or they eject the reddish brown to brown secretion as a spray. Larger desert species, like E. armata and E. longicollis, can spray 10 to 20 inches. Most species can spray multiple times, if necessary. The spray is not painful unless you get it in your eyes or mouth, where it is painful, burning and temporarily blinding. It does not wash off.

Most animals avoid contact with Eleodes due to the insect’s ability to produce a stinky secretion. God created grasshopper mice, however, to get around this problem by grabbing the beetle, jamming its behind into the sand, and eating it head first. Other predators include burrowing owls, loggerhead shrikes and another well-known stinker, skunks.

Pinacate beetles tend to live in dry, arid climates, and thus God has created them specially to live there. The beetles’ wing covers are fused to help prevent dehydration.

The functions of the pinacate beetle point to an awesome God who created this world and everything in it (Genesis 1:1-25). We should give Him praise and thanks to Him for giving us His creation to enjoy its beauty and to be its stewards.

Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinacate_beetle
http://www.desertusa.com/mag01/may/papr/sbug.html
Kaufman, Kenn. Field Guide to Insects of North America. Rocky Ridge, Ohio: Hollstar Editions L.C., 2007.