Blue Death-feigning Beetle

Asbolus verrucosus is a desert darkling beetle in Tenebrionidae, also known as the Desert Ironclad Beetle. [1]

A blue wax coating gives the beetle its muted colour over a dark exoskeleton. The wing covers have prominent bumps; wetting can remove the coating and expose the black surface beneath. [1]

The species inhabits deserts in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. [1]

Females excavate shallow holes and deposit small eggs underground. In captive rearing, eggs hatch under warm, humid substrate conditions. [1]

The diet includes fruit, plant matter, carrion and insects. [1]

When threatened, adults roll onto their backs and hold their legs raised while remaining still. Oregon Zoo records describe immobility lasting from minutes to hours. [1]

The epithet verrucosus means warty and refers to the conspicuously bumpy surface. [1]

Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.