Beautiful Bipustular Beetle

My first malachite beetle of the season. Soon these flower beetles will be everywhere but I was thrilled to spot this first one in the rain this morning. I've read up on them when I have photographed them before and know all about the male malachite beetles producing sex pheromone rich secretions in excitators on their flanged antennae and that these secretions are eaten by the female. I've always assumed that the scientific name Malachius bipustulatus referred to the twin red spots on its metallic, malachite-green wing cases. I'm not so sure now.


I've just read of the two pairs of vesicles or pouches that the beetle has. One pair is on the red part of the thorax and the other on the red part of the abdomen. These can be inflated, possibly as a defence mechanism, and the beetle releases a strong smell at the same time.


I photographed quite a few other bugs in the rain, including the freshly emerged damselfly that I've added to extras. These insects usually hold their wings in line with their bodies but early on they can be spread, as in my pic.