Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Field Photo: Buprestis rufipes

Buprestis rufipes - a jewel beetle - munching on a young oak tree next to the Ochlocknee River near Tallahassee, Florida.

This beetle’s iridescence (sort of washed-out in these pics) isn’t due to pigmentation in the exoskeleton, but rather microscopic textures in its cuticle which reflect and scatter particular frequencies of light.



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