Arthropods Daily – Issue No. 453

Dasytes plumbeus is a small beetle, about 4-5 mm long, with a shiny dark body and a greenish or bluish shine. It feeds on pollen and nectar and helps in pollination by carrying pollen to other flowers. This beetle is commonly found in central, northern, and western Europe, as well as in North America, particularly around Greater Vancouver. Its habitat includes flowers, shrubs near embankments and forest edges, and adults can also be seen on decomposing wood, while the larvae are predators.