Desert Ironclad Beetle

Asbolus verrucosus

Asbolus verrucosus is a species of darkling beetle native to the deserts of the Southwestern United States, notably the Sonoran desert. It is highly adapted to hot environments and is omnivorous, consuming dead insects, fruits, lichen, and other plant matter.
Blue Death Feigning or Ironclad beetle or Asbolus verrucosus 1.3X, 64 steps at 223 micron/step Asbolus verrucosus,Desert Ironclad Beetle,Fall,Geotagged,United States

Appearance

The blue death feigning beetle grows to around 18–21 mm from head to abdomen. The species name "verrucosus," meaning 'warty', refers to the characteristic bumps on the beetle's elytra. The powdery blue hue of the beetles is due to a wax coating on their bodies that prevents loss of moisture. High humidity darkens the color of the beetles.

Males are slightly smaller than females, and have bristly red hairs on their antennae. The beetles are crepuscular, being most active at dawn and dusk.
Blue Death Feigning, Desert Ironclad beetle or Asbolus verrucosus Gets its name from the waxy coating it has to reduce water evaporation. One beetle feigned death for so long I thought it was dead and I started to pin out its legs. https://www.jungledragon.com/image/155355/blue_death_feigning_or_iron_clad_beetle_or_asbolus_verrucosus.html This is from a clique of about 18 beetles I maintain. Their life expectancy can be up to 8 years long and this one appears to be a male. Asbolus verrucosus,Geotagged,Spring,United States

Behavior

When threatened, the beetles are able to feign death. The species is becoming increasingly popular in the pet trade, due to their ease of care, hardiness, and longevity.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderColeoptera
FamilyTenebrionidae
GenusAsbolus
SpeciesA. verrucosus
Photographed in
United States of America