Strange twins

August 19, 2020  •  Leave a Comment

Twin Net-winged BeetleTwin Net-winged Beetle

Net-winged Beetles are the moth-lookalikes of the Coleoptera world, and around here, they often come in variations on the orange and black theme, their most common colors. (There are also pure orange and pure black species among the net-winged Lycidae, but they seem to be rare around here.) This variation, however, may be the rarest of them all, or, depending on how it came to be, the commonest. First off, given the pattern of black banding on the wings, it's probably a Banded Net-winged Beetle, a.k.a. Calopteron reticulatum. But what the heck is the story with the two pairs of antennae, including one going right out of the back, and the four pairs of wings? At first glance, it would appear to be an example of conjoined twins, and that would be exceedingly unusual. But there's another explanation, much more mundane... and prurient. This could also be a pair of net-wings caught in the act of mating, with the male attempting to work his way up the female's back via an inside route, rather than the more typical mounting style atop her wings. While I've never seen an insect guy try this, I guess it would provide a measure of privacy.


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