passalidae

Odontotaenius disjunctus, the horned passalus Friday Beetle Blogging returns this week with portraits of an unusually social beetle.  The horned passalus Odontotaenius disjunctus lives in groups in rotting logs, where adults practice a form of parental care.  I photographed this individual last weekend in southern Illinois, but the species ranges from the tropical forests of Central and South America Texas to as far north as New York. photo details (all photos): Canon 100 mm f2.8 macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D ISO 160, f/10-13, 1/125 sec, indirect strobe diffused in a white box