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 77 a beetle DHJanzen100159.jpg high resolution
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| Pelidnota punctulata is a large scarab beetle whose larva lives underground eating roots (perhaps of the ant-acacia, but no one knows, but it is to be expected). Like Syssphinx mexicana described above, its distribution in nature covers a large part of the distribution of ant-acacias (from tropical Mexico to Costa Rica). The adult beetle is found in nature only in the crowns of occupied ant-acacias, eating the foliage. But, its way of dealing with the ant colony is very different from that of Syssphinx mexicana. | ||
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