Beetles with spines

 The diversity of form and shapes of beetles are perhaps unparalleled in the animal kingdom. There was clearly an inordinate need for this variety, and I am growing rather fond of discovering more of these. This blog shows a few that I found in the Vaccine Depot Ground of Belgaum city.

The Vaccine Depot Ground in Belgaum city, south India seems like just another green urban space, but a closer look helps reveal it to be a magnificent remnant old forest. The human touch, however, is everywhere - buildings, rows of one tree species, a block filled with an exotic tree, invaluable open grasslands being destroyed by feel-goody tree plantings, and of course a growing network of paved paths. For the burgeoning Belgaum city, the depot's greenness provides critical functions of being both a vital lung and giving people a peaceful natural experience during their morning walks. 

A large manner of wild species use the depot and one group that has caught my attention is rather wacky. These are beetles with spines. Not vertebrae, of course, but actual sharp, long, curved and varied spines. Entomologists know of these and plenty has been written about their taxonomy, role in ecology, and so on. Quite a few different kinds of spiny beetles occur, and here are a few from Vaccine Depot. Here, I share my amazement at the crazy-coolness of a few beetles I found at the Vaccine Depot Ground.

The first one I saw was a weevil, Hoplapoderus gemmatus, that was tiny but packed a punch in appearance. This species belongs to a group broadly named as the leaf-rolling beetles, or Attelabidae. Seen from above, the beetle is good looking already sporting an exotic gold-and-black appearance.

The spines, however, pop when this fella is viewed slightly from the side. Spines of this beetle are somewhat gentle, as if included as an afterthought. And they add, I thought, quite a surprising attractive complexity to the look. 

A much tinier, but far spinier, beetle I saw was Hispa ramosa. This chap was about as thick as a grass blade and looked more like a tiny caterpillar thanks to the densely covered spines. Hispa belongs to a group of beetles called "leaf beetles" - a group that has quite a few species whose larvae feed on leaves of both wild plants and on domestic crops. 

The bizarreness and fabulousness of the spikiness went up a few notches with two Tortoise and Hispine Beetles. One that I have not yet been able to identify to genus or species level is this gorgeous chap sporting a row of two-pronged gold-and-black spikes on its thorax. These were completely overshadowed by the forest of black curved spines on its wings! Look closely and you can see a row of golden spikes jutting out from its sides.

Hate it or love it, the chap is arresting. Add the velvety looking flat feet at the end of the yellow legs, and we have a certified looker in our hands.

   Then came this astounding spined beetle that managed to beat our looker above - Platypria, another leaf beetle. It was by accident that I found this beetle. It was in the web of a social spider quite dead but affording a great opportunity to take photographs from all sides. Four species of this genus are known from India, and going by the photographs of all the species, I would venture to guess that I had found P. echidna.

There were multi-colour spines everywhere on this beetle. And in all sorts of shapes. I assume that the generic name alludes to its overall shape somewhat resembling a Platypus. While the back had several simple spines, the sides were awash with spine diversity. Six-pronged ones, three-pronged ones, coloured ones, semi-transparent ones - you name it, he had it! Add the lush golden-yellow legs and I had meself an unbelievable beetle!

Spines and spikes on beetles have attracted some research attention, and are known to reduce predation. Not only are these spined beetles avoided by birds and frogs and lizards, but also by parasitic wasps. The spines clearly lost their use when caught in a web. It would have been really great to watch the spiders and see how they avoided all of those spines. Perhaps I will get lucky another time.

(Photographs were taken in the Vaccine Depot Grounds of Belgaum, Karnataka during May 2024.)