Hermit Flower Beetle - Osmoderma eremicola
Here's a blast from the past; this robust and leathery Beetle was among the many insects uploaded during the blog's early days. I hoped to find another live specimen during my years of photography, but the only living individual I've been able to find so far was the one from 2017. It really wanted to ascend the backyard's black locust tree (seen in these pictures), and in retrospect, it was probably climbing in search of a mate or a location to lay eggs since (for the latter) this insect prefers to oviposit in rotten or decaying wood. Considering how this tree's health declined over the years after taking these photos and needed to be cut down, I am inclined to believe this Beetle has a reproductive-related objective here. Moreover, it's not the only insect who favored this old tree as an egg-depositing site for future developing larvae. However, there is always the possibility that it was simply looking for food. Although fading trees may be suitable egg-laying locations, the most fruitful place for a Hermit Flower Beetle's larvae to grow are in the hollows of old logs and decaying stumps. This way, after hatching they can feed and metamorphose at their leisure until the moist parts of the interior tree wood are gone. Interestingly, the presence of Hermit Flower Beetle larvae within the interiors of rotting wood is so exemplary that the species, and other Osmoderma Beetles, are considered an indicator species.
In essence, the presence of this Beetle's larvae allow ecologists and scientists to assess the quality of an environment and any changes therein. Particularly, the conditions which affect tree-dwelling Beetles, including the many species of Borer Beetles. With regards to Hermit Flower Beetle larvae themselves, they are similar in appearance to May Beetle larvae, including possessing a characteristic "C-shaped" body featuring white or creamy-yellow coloration. However, when comparing those two varieties of larvae, Hermit Flower Beetle larvae appear to be bulkier and more uniform in shape along the entire body, with a head coloration of brownish-red, rather than orange. This sounds very straightforward, but this description could apply to any number of Scarab Beetle larvae as a whole. If you were to find such insect individuals, it might be a good idea to monitor them within their habitat (with minimal disturbance) and observe where their metamorphosis takes them in order to successfully identify the Beetles which emerge. Once transformed into the adult form, you might expect the Hermit Flower Beetle to venture to sources of fruit in order to fulfill its dietary needs. While that's true, fallen fruit is probably the best fit if the adults emerge in the late summer to early autumn, rather than ripening fruit. Tree sap might be on the menu too, but such feeding activity during the day expose them to tree-dwelling insectivores such as birds and rodents. With a dark-colored shell, nocturnal life suits them better, and they are apparently drawn to light sources in a similar manner as many May Beetles are.
Pictures were taken on August 12, 2017 with a Samsung Galaxy S4. My goodness, the number of years that have passed since these images were taken! I'm suddenly feeling quite old.
