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Desert ironclad beetle

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Asbolus verrucosus

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Meet the desert ironclad beetle in the Great Vivarium at the Insectarium.

Desert ironclad beetles are found from the southwestern United States to northern Mexico. Their body has a texture similar to hammered iron and shows a bluish sheen.

Their fused, rigid wings and the rest of their exoskeleton form an effective barrier against water loss, allowing them to survive in desert conditions.

These beetles’ blue colour comes from a pigmented wax they secrete on their body’s surface. In fact, their exoskeleton is entirely black. This wax provides effective protection from the sun’s rays.

The beetle family is a diverse and dominant group in arid ecosystems. For example, in the northern Mojave Desert (California), the biomass of the desert ironclad beetle is said to exceed the combined biomass of mammals, birds, and reptiles in the same area!

Playing Dead

When frightened, these beetles will quickly roll onto their back to look like a dried-out insect. They can hold this position for several minutes, encouraging a predator to move on in search of a tastier target.

Even the beetle’s larvae can play dead. They release hemolymph (the insect equivalent of blood), which acts as a glue, covering them in soil particles. This natural camouflage makes them nearly invisible to predators.

Pinacate beetles

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Eleodes spp.

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Discover the pinacate beetle in the Great Vivarium at the Insectarium.

Pinacate beetles, from the Eleodes genus, live in the semi-desert regions of western North America. They have a thick, waxy exoskeleton that allows them to withstand temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius without losing too much moisture.

Their long legs help keep their bodies elevated above the sun-heated ground.

These legs are also useful for running and digging. Pinacate beetles can burrow into the soil to take refuge where the temperature is less intense.

Beetles from the Eleodes genus are known for their defensive behaviour. When threatened, they lower their heads and raise their abdomens in the air. In this position, they can release a foul-smelling liquid as a defense mechanism.

Clever hydration

At dawn, tiny droplets of water form on the waterproof cuticle of these beetles. The droplets gradually build up until they flow—by gravity—from the beetle’s abdomen down to its mouth.

These beetles tilt forward to collect the morning dew that has settled on their bodies.

Le Tirant's leaf insect

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Discover Le Tirant’s leaf insect
in a vivarium in the Tête-à-tête room at the Insectarium.

Described in 2018, Le Tirant’s leaf insect is found on Peleng Island in Indonesia. Named in honor of Stéphane Le Tirant, curator of the Insectarium’s scientific collection from its opening in 1990 until 2024, this remarkable insect mimics the shape of a leaf.

Individuals show a range of colors: while most are green, some exhibit reddish or yellowish tones.

In the world of leaf insects, body shape and features alone often fail to clearly distinguish one species from another. In the case of Le Tirant’s leaf insect, it was the unique shape of its eggs that revealed to scientists it was indeed a distinct species.

Unique traits of leaf insects

When camouflage is not enough, leaf insects have another trick they use as a means of defence: they simply let go and drop from their perch, disappearing into the dense tropical undergrowth. This sudden fall makes it much harder for predators to find them.

 Another distinctive feature of this species is its eggs. They are covered in tiny hairs and a type of “glue” that helps them stick to leaves and tree trunks. This adhesive activates after the egg is laid, provided it falls onto a surface in a sufficiently humid environment. By anchoring to leaves or trunks in the canopy, the egg remains safely in place, allowing the embryo to develop under ideal conditions.

Umtali flower beetle

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Find the Umtali flower beetle in the Great Vivarium. It’s distinguished by its beautiful metallic colors of blue-purple, green and pearl, or by its colorful borders.

Belonging to the Coleoptera order, the Umtali flower beetle is found in the rainforests of Central Africa from Uganda to Zimbabwe. It’s poorly documented to this point, and observation of its behavior at the Insectarium will advance research on the subject. If you’re lucky enough to have a flower beetle land on your hand, it’ll feel very much like a ladybug’s feet.

Orchid praying mantis

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Hymenopus coronatus

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The orchid praying mantis is Asiatic in origin, its natural habitat being in Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Indonesia. It camouflages easily under tropical rainforest orchids thanks to its pastel colors. That appearance has two functions: it conceals the mantis from potential predators, and it fools the different pollinators the mantis feeds on by luring them and trapping them.

Breeding:

The male makes advances by drumming on the female’s thorax with its forelegs. He being about twice as small as the female, it sometimes happens that she feeds on him during mating (which takes between 24 and 36 hours). But that behavior is infrequent.

Fifteen days after mating, the female deposits an ootheca consisting of between 25 and 50 eggs. In the weeks that follow she produces as many as four other oothecae.

Giant hooded katydid

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Siliquofera grandis

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Meet the giant hooded katydid
in a vivarium of the Insectarium’s Tête-à-tête room.

The giant hooded katydid lives high in the canopy of tropical rainforests. It can be found in the treetops of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and northeastern Australia.

This katydid is impressively large. Females can grow up to 15 cm in body length, with a wingspan reaching 25 cm. While often too heavy to fly, they are capable of gliding.

As with other katydid species, the first dorsal segment of its thorax forms a shape that resembles a hood—hence its name.

Lifestyle and communication

Despite their large size, these katydids are difficult to spot. Nocturnal by nature, they rely on camouflage and their high-canopy habitat for protection.

In addition to stridulating to communicate, giant hooded katydids also produce crackling sounds by rapidly flicking the back of their wings. They can also make contact by generating vibrations through their bodies—for example, by rubbing their abdomens against the substrate. These sounds and signals are used to communicate messages related to defense or mating.

Sound-detecting organs called tympana are clearly visible on the tibiae of the katydid’s front legs. Additional sound-receiving structures, known as acoustic spiracles, are located on the first segment of the thorax.

White spot assassin bug

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Platymeris biguttata

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Discover the white spot assassin bug in a vivarium in the Tête-à-tête room at the Insectarium.

White spot assassin bugs prowl the tropical forests of Africa, from Uganda to Guinea.

A fierce predator, this species of true bug stalks its prey, then strikes with precision, using a sharp rostrum—a set of pointed mouthparts—to paralyze its target. Once anchored into the prey’s body, the assassin bug extracts internal tissues before releasing the remains and cleaning itself.

While nymphs hunt cooperatively in groups, adult bugs prefer to hunt alone.

White spot assassin bugs can also spray venom to drive off would-be predators from a distance.

White spot assassin bugs have become a familiar sight at the Insectarium. The hundreds of individuals bred for public display or sent to other museums can all be traced back to just four individuals, originally received by our team.

Giant prickly stick insect

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Extatosoma tiaratum

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Discover the giant prickly strick insect
in a vivarium in the Tête-à-tête room at the Insectarium.

The giant prickly stick insect is native to eastern Australia. Like many stick insects, it is a master of disguise, relying on camouflage to evade predators. By mimicking the shape and texture of a leaf, it blends seamlessly into its surroundings.

A defense arsenal

The adult male has well-developed wings and can fly away from danger.

The female cannot fly, but she can curl her abdomen upward, adopting an intimidating posture.

As a last resort, the stick insect uses its spiny legs as pincers.

The giant prickly stick insect can also secrete a caramel-scented substance from its mouthparts. While harmless to humans, this secretion may help deter predators.

Eggs that fool ants

The eggs of giant prickly stick insect resemble certain seeds that ants find irresistible. This tricks ants into carrying the eggs back to their nests. This clever adaptation helps protect and disperse the eggs.

When the young nymphs hatch, they curl their abdomens, and their coloration and movements give them the appearance of ants. This form of mimicry allows the newly hatched insects to leave the ant nest unnoticed.

Like some other stick insect species, the female giant prickly stick insect can reproduce through parthenogenesis. This mode of reproduction is characterized by the absence of fertilization by a male.

Madagascar blue stick insect

English
Achrioptera manga

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Meet the Madagascar blue stick insect in the Insectarium’s Tête-à-tête room.

This stick insect lives in two forests located at the northernmost tip of Madagascar. Together, these forests cover just 65 square kilometres. Both sites have been protected from deforestation since 2008.

An exceptional morphology

The bright colours of the adult male Madagascar blue stick insect stand out from those of most other stick insect species, which are typically camouflaged.

Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the male’s vivid colouring. It may serve to attract females or signal toxicity to predators. Since males are highly mobile, the typical camouflage strategy used by other stick insects might be less necessary for them.

Females can lay a total of 200 to 300 eggs, at a rate of two to five per day.

Sophisticated defence mechanisms

When threatened, these stick insects spread their red wings to startle or warn predators. This visual display may be accompanied by a sound made with their wings, known as stridulation.

Their spiny hind legs can also pinch attackers. As a last resort, they drop to the ground to escape danger.

 

Owl butterfly

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Caligo spp.

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You can observe owl butterflies
in the Insectarium’s Great Vivarium.

Owl butterflies, from the Caligo genus, are found in the tropical forests of the Americas. Large eyespots on the underside of their wings resemble the eyes of an owl.

Several species of this butterfly are crepuscular. Because of their large size and fast flight, they are sometimes mistaken for bats.

Their eggs are hemispherical, with one flat side. They are laid either singly or in clusters.

Recognizable caterpillars

Owl butterfly caterpillars can grow up to 10 cm long. They often have horns or spines at the ends of their head or abdomen.

These caterpillars are gregarious and can cause economic damage when they proliferate in banana or palm plantations.

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