Pages

06 January 2016

Urchin Beetle – Record by Mansur Al Fahd

Mansur Al Fahad sent me a few photos of an Urchin Beetle Priionotheca cornata that he took in Saudi Arabia and has kindly allowed me to use them on my website. The Urchin Beetle is a large ground beetle with a blackish oval body and long legs. The head and thorax are much smaller than the abdomen and the elytra is hardened and covered with spikes. The antennae are longer than the head and thorax. They are not a common beetle in the Middle East but are occasionally seen at night. This beetle is harmless and protects itself by burying its head in the sand and holding its hardened elytra up with the spikes exposed. The feed on seeds and leaves as well as rotten vegetable waste.