Treasure of the month December: Shimmering leaf horn beetle
1 December 2017
Photo: UHH/CeNak, Dalsgaard
These beautiful beetles (Thyridium sapphirinum) are from Colombia.
Our treasure of the month December is: no, not a collection of blue-purple shimmering Christmas baubles, but a number of particularly beautiful beetles from the insect collection. For once, entomologist Dr. Martin Husemann looked less at scientific value than at beauty when making his choice.
The specimens of Thyridium sapphirinum belong to the leaf horn beetle family (Scarabaeidae) and originate from Colombia.
With almost four million insects, the entomological collection of LIB is one of the most important in Germany. More than 65,000 insect species from all parts of the world are kept here for research purposes. Several objects from the treasury of the Hamburg Natural Science Association date back to the early 19th century. They serve as references in the systematic and taxonomic work of scientists.