#passalidae

[jupiterswasphouse]

[VIDEO TAKEN: APRIL 1ST, 2026 | Video ID: A video of a pair of black and orange bess beetles, the camera focuses in on one and then follows it over to the other one. Then, they notice each other and start fighting, trying to bite at and overturn each other, at some point both flipping onto their backs, all while making an aggravated squeaking sound at each other. /End IDs.]

All I was trying to do was get a nice video of these horned passalus/bess beetles, and they quickly turned to violence!!! Note that I did have to turn the audio volume up, but otherwise the sound is completely unaltered!

[zoelikesbugs]

I got to see one of my favorite native beetles today, the horned passalus beetle (aka bess beetle)! I'm always so happy to come across these dudes. In the third image, you can see some phoretic mites which these beetles often have hitching a ride on them, but are harmless. Horned passalus beetles also have a neat defense mechanism where they will rub their wings under their elytra to make a soft hissing/squeaking noise, and even have other distinct noises they make to communicate with each other! They are such cool beetles.

[bowelfly]

its time to think about critters

[ichneumoniid]

Wonderful stridulating puppies from a rotting log

(Odontotaenius disjunctus, 9/7/2024)

[platycryptus]

*ANGRY BEETLE NOISES*

I rolled a log over and found a group of passalids (Odontotaenius disjunctus) so i put them in my hand to take pics. Then I noticed another one on the other side of the log, but that one must’ve been from a different colony because they did not get along

(Virginia, 10/15/21)

[escherbug]

Made a stamp of a bess beetle :)

[lazchance]

Hello from the #bug boys! Eeeeee I love your bugs posts! Your photography is so pretty and the little guys are so cute!!! Thank you for sharing your pictures!!!!!!

(a little guy I found once, whom I thoroughly enjoyed meeting)

hello #bug boys im lazarus... i love yall for swarming my posts and showing me so much support

the beelte youve photographed appears to be a horned passalus beetle (Odontotaenius disjunctus). im gonna guess that you live somewhere in the eastern half of the united states

in exchange heres a beetle of my own that i decided not to post previously... a rare carpet beetle on my shirt

Anthrenus oceanicus is a beetle ive only seen once. pretty colouration and scales but i wasnt satisfied with the photo quality so i never uploaded these. i still find it to be a really pretty beetle. and the only skin beetle ive seen

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Ogyges toriyama and O. mutenroshii are two species of beetle belonging to the bessbug family. This group is unusual for its social behaviour, as adults build communal tunnels in which they lay their eggs and parents care for their young after they hatch. The two speiceis, O. toriyama and O. mutenroshii were discovered by Enio B. Cano in 2014 and named after the creater of the manga Dragon Ball and one of its principle characters, repectively.

(Images: [Left] A holotype of Ogyges Toriyama by Enio Cano, [Right] A photo of O. toriyama's namesake, Akira Toriyama, by AFP)

If you send me proof that you’ve made a donation to UNRWA or another organization benefiting Palestinians, I’ll make art of any animal of your choosing.