Julodimorpha is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae.
Julodimorpha | |
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Julodimorpha bakewelli from Australia | |
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Genus: | Julodimorpha Gemminger & Harold, 1869
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Species
editJulodimorpha contains the following species:
- Julodimorpha bakewelli (White, 1859)
- Julodimorpha saundersii Thomson, 1878
Observations on mating behaviour
editIn 1983, entomologists Darryl Gwynne and David Rentz reported on male Julodimorpha saundersii (confused at that time with the closely related J. bakewelli[1]), which were observed attempting to copulate with discarded brown stubbies (a type of beer bottles) studded with tubercules (bobbly bits).[2] The beetles' behavior was an example of a supernormal stimulus. The report won Gwynne and Rentz the 2011 Ig Nobel Prize in biology.[3]
References
edit- ^ Bellamy, C.L. & T. Weir. 2008. The reinstatement of Julodimorpha saundersii Thomson 1879 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) as a valid species. Zootaxa 1751: 46–54.
- ^ D. T. Gwynne, D. C. F. Rentz (February 1983). "Beetles on the Bottle: Male Buprestids Mistake Stubbies for Females (Coleoptera)". Australian Journal of Entomology. 22 (1): 79–80. doi:10.1111/j.1440-6055.1983.tb01846.x. S2CID 84325003.
- ^ Jonathan Amos (September 30, 2011). "Beetle's beer bottle sex wins Ig Nobel Prize". BBC News. Retrieved September 30, 2011.