Paint It Black (sounds like a classic Rolling Stones hit)!
It was during a weekend mountain expedition earlier this March at the Mt. Maleiha trail in Sharjah that I got multiple natural habitat encounters with these fast moving, shiny black beetles!
These awesome beetles are called Pitted Beetles, Adesmia cancellata. These darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) have found their own niche in the desert and have adapted as scavengers/omnivores.
These fast walking beetles were out "en masse" as I was traversing the trail. The changing season (Spring to Summer) might have activated a mating frenzy for these darklings! I observed numerous beetles in pairs and in some cases chasing each other in the ordeals of courtship.
Their "painted black" color and the numerous pits on their elytra put against a light colored desert sand and dry rocks background makes them easy to spot.
I was doubly amazed to observed how fast they walk on the desert sand and rock surfaces.
Awesome creature! Awesome Creator!
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