Crucifix Ground Beetle (Panagaeus cruxmajor). It was greatly treasured by 19th century collectors

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Crucifix Ground Beetle (Panagaeus cruxmajor). It was greatly treasured by 19th century collectors, and Charles Darwin recounted an incident when he was an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge around 1828. He had already collected two ground beetles when he "saw a sacred Panagæus crux major". He tried putting one of the other beetles in his mouth to free his hand, but it ejected acrid fluid down his throat, causing him to spit it out and lose all three. Photographed in Ravning, Denmark.

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Size: 5472px × 3648px
Location: Jutland,Denmark
Photo credit: © Lars S. Madsen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, animals, beetle, beetles, carabidae, christian, christianity, coleoptera, crucifix, cruxmajor, fauna, ground, insect, insects, marking, nature, panagaeus, pretty, rare, spot, spots, spotted, symbol, threatened, wildlife