Dartmoor, Devon The beetle’s forelimb seemed to give a cheery wave to the world as it scooped at thin air then arced forward
Wider than a thumbnail, almost as thick as a thumb, a black beetle with a shell like polished shoe leather was lumbering along a well-trodden path.
Striking out in slow motion for the grassy edge with a six-legged doggy paddle, this bloody-nosed beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) gave the impression of a wind-up toy winding down. Watching this great tank on sticks was akin to seeing the open workings of a mill – a collection of mechanical parts moving in sequence to drive the greater whole.
Each skinny, segmented leg, bent at the knee, released its hydraulics in turn and swung outwards. The forelimb seemed to give a cheery wave to the world as it scooped at thin air, then it arced forward, tilting the beetle’s body. A pair of claspers on its feet bit at the ground, opening and closing, opening and closing, giving a cue to a leg on the opposite side of its body to repeat the lift and crawl action.
The overall effect of these alternating slow-flailing limbs was to rock the great carapace to and fro in a kind of geriatric jive.
A pair of feelers conducted the operation, tasting the air with extravagant flicks of antennae that were beaded like strings of costume jewellery. Bulging racing-goggle eyes added a touch of sporting style.
All the while the beetle’s mouthparts chomped, although it was not clear to what purpose, since they were held well above the ground. Was this the herbivorous insect’s version of chewing the cud?
I have never seen this beetle’s pièce de résistance, and nor do I really want to. A ladybird bleeds foul-tasting blood from its knees when it feels threatened. The bloody-nosed beetle gets its name from a ruby droplet that it exudes from its mouth under similar circumstances.
I did not wish this beetle to spill its blood on my account, nor did I want it to get more than a bloody nose on the path. A finger ramp was enough to entice it on to my hand. The beetle tickled its way up into my palm and I shook it off into the safety of long grass.
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