T. 22-punctata
         C. 7-punctata
         C. tenebrionis
         O. nasicornis
         C. aurata
         C. aeruginosa
         E. pareyssei
         E. faber
         C. cordigera

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait Glaphyrid Beetle (Eulasia pareyssei) :: 2005/04/27 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Glaphyrid Beetle (Eulasia pareyssei) :: 2005/04/27 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Glaphyrid Beetle (Eulasia pareyssei) :: 2008/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Glaphyrid Beetle (Eulasia pareyssei) :: 2002/05/03 :: Lafkos - Milina :: © A.Papadopoulos No image!

Glaphyrid Beetle

Eulasia pareyssei

I wasn't able to find any information whatsoever on this strange little insect, so I will try to describe it myself.

It is a small, very hairy beetle, approx. 15 mm (5/8 in) in length, with a shiny metallic-green  thorax and dark brown  elytra, adorned with beige stripes.

Large numbers swarm the Pelion area every year from around mid-April to mid-May, at which time they miraculously vanish. Despite the fact that they are strong flyers, they are usually fairly idle. Most individuals can be seen basking in the sun, on yellow flowers, which they seem to prefer.

Every now and then a stray E. pareyssei lands on a flower already occupied by another individual of the same species. When this happens, the flower occupant engages in a noisy, short-lived battle with the intruder, after which the latter usually flies away in defeat.

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Fact Sheet

Food
N/A

Active
April - May, probably other months.

Habitat
Flowery meadows and hill slopes; seems to prefer yellow flowers.

Distribution
N/A


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Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Arthropoda; Superclass: Hexapoda; Superclass: Hexapoda; Class: Insecta; Subclass: Neoptera; Order: Coleoptera; Family: Glaphyridae; Genus: Eulasia; Species: pareyssei

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Acknowledgments


I would like to thank F. Koehler from Germany, Webmaster of "Koleopterologie", for helping me identify this beetle.

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