This is not a book about beetles, it’s a photographic collection: a cabinet of curiosities, a glimpse into the vast Coleopteran cathedral that is the beetle collection at the Natural History Museum in London. This is Max Barclay’s domain, a vast hall housing ten million specimens from 400,000 species. In this small sample, Max presents 119 specimens as a cross-section of the beetles that reside within the cavernous rows of cabinets that are housed in his department. But it is also a collection of stories, tales of discovery, adventures and, occasionally, of loss. The photographs are superb; modern techniques mean that the viewer is invited into the microscopic world in which these beetles exist.
It opens dramatically with a handsome fungus beetle, a resident of Malaysia whose metallic blue spines protect it from predation, and ends with Attenborough’s Dung Beetle from the Amazonian forests of Brazil and Peru. There is a carnival of exotic characters sitting between them. Each beetle in this collection has an outline of its biology, its history and, where relevant, its cultural context. Each page ends with the family, distribution and beetle length.
This is a fascinating collection in which seasoned coleopterists will reacquaint themselves with many old friends plus some new ones, while those with wider interests will be dazzled by the diversity of colour and form on display. I can only imagine the challenge that Max faced when selecting the candidates for this book.
So, did I have any favourites? It was hard not to. The Violin Beetle is one I have met face to face. At 10 cm, it’s a large beetle with broad elytra giving it the violin shape. They mimic the seeds of forest trees and they have the ability to spray butyric acid at potential predators. The Atlantic Tortoise Beetle appealed to my interest in the arts, as it is a shiny leaf beetle that was commonly used in jewellery in the early 1900s. Recently, it has declined dramatically due to the loss of the coastal rainforests in which it lives. The Giant Riverine Tiger Beetle sports a stunning display of iridescent blues, greens and oranges; an insect with a ferocious reputation. The Target Longhorn Beetle and the Philippine Jewel Beetle both display intricate and colourful patterns on their elytra, while the New Zealand Giraffe Weevil stands out at up to 9 cm in length. There are just too many fascinating and attractive beetles to choose from, but they are not all exotics. The collection also contains ‘everyday beetles’ like the Devils Coach Horse, the Dor Beetle and the Violet Ground Beetle, which are common in the UK countryside.
The introduction outlines some basic beetle biology and their importance in global ecosystems along with the concept behind this book. There is also a brief glossary and an index. This is a book to dip into, to open at random and be amazed. It will delight coleopterists and other entomologists, but anyone with an interest in the natural world will find this glimpse into the world of beetles a revelation.
