The Asian bombardier beetle is a yellow-and-black ground beetle from East Asia that defends itself by spraying a chemical hotter than 212°F (100°C) from the tip of its abdomen. It lives in Japan, Korea, and China, and isn't found in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- About ½–¾ inch (11–18 mm) long. The head, sides of the thorax, and legs are yellow, while most of the wing covers are black with wavy yellow markings—showy for a ground beetle.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Damp lowlands
- Mountain valleys
- Lakeshores
- Range
- Japan (Hokkaido to the Amami Islands), North and South Korea, and China, including Yunnan Province. It doesn't occur in the US.
- Preferred conditions
- Favors damp ground. In Japan it lives on moist lowlands, where adults hide under damp stones by day; Korean records come from damp ground in mountain valleys and near lakes.
Behavior
- Diet
- Adults hunt small insects and other small animals and also scavenge on dead animals.
- Activity
- Mostly active at night.
Life cycle
- Larva
- The grub-like larvae have short legs. Studies in Japan found that newly hatched larvae dig into mole cricket egg chambers underground and feed only on the eggs.
Cautions
- Cautions
- Hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide are stored separately in the abdomen and mixed in a reaction chamber, producing a hot spray of steam and an irritating chemical called benzoquinone. The beetle can aim it and fire several times in a row. It can burn or irritate skin, leaves a stubborn brown stain, and is dangerous in the eyes, so don't handle it barehanded.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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