3/8-1/2 inch, head & pronotum are red-orange;
elytra may be black; male's antennas are comb-like.
Range:
All over North America
Habitat:
Woods
Food:
Adults eat pollen; larvae prey on smaller
insects.
Lifecycle:
Complete metamorphosis
Winter Survival:
Unknown
Lifespan:
Unknown
Adaptations:
Unknown
Sleep Cycle:
Diurnal
Niche:
Predator & Prey
Role to Humans:
Beneficial
Population:
Unknown
Interesting Facts:
Larvae hunt prey under the bark of dead
trees.
Sources:
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North
American Insects and Spiders
Fire Beetle
I came into the world from the egg that my mother laid on the dead bark of a tree. When I began my life as a larva, something told me there would be food in the dead tree. While I was eating bark beetle larvae, I saw a preying mantis coming closer and closer. Snatch! Close call, I was almost eaten. Luckily he only ate the bark beetle that moved in from of me.
After that, I decided to eat the bark beetles in their tunnels. All at once I started to eat larva after larva after larva. Finally my exoskeleton began to get very hard and I felt like I was pupating inside the case. After a long time I woke up and I crawled out of the tunnels as an adult. Suddenly I realized that I could fly. After flying for a long time I landed on a flower and found a mate.
One day I was feeding on a low flower when a lizard came by. I was trying not to be seen but it was no use. The predator saw me. I was dodging him as best as I could but he got his meal anyway. The eggs that my mate laid had already started to hatch, continuing the life cycle of my species.
