On a green carpet woven from leaf veins, I found a tiny, incredibly beautiful beetle dancing skillfully. The beetle was incredibly beautiful, with a slender, emerald-green body that, when reflected in the sun, shone like a jewel fallen from the sky. Oddly enough, this color wasn't always emerald green. Sometimes it was green, sometimes bluish-green, and sometimes even jet black. It all depended on the light and the angle of view.
I believe the beetle wasn't just an ordinary insect, but a very skilled magician, performing tricks on an audience. If there were a magician's contest in the insect world, I'm sure this beetle would be the winner. Especially when I found it dancing on the leaf, its every movement adding to the charm of its illusion.
Every time it moved, its color changed. It was as if the movements were changing its outfit. This was the first time I'd encountered such a unique beetle. Its long, reddish-orange legs added to its elegance. A pair of delicate antennae constantly moved to the tune of the yellow-vented bulbul's song.
Besides being beautiful, this beetle also had a very calm demeanor, which made me even more amazed. Until I finished photographing it, the beetle remained faithfully performing its dance on the leaf. Despite this, many eyes still ignored it.
This beautiful beetle belongs to the subgenus Neocollyris, a genus of beetles in the subfamily Cicindelinae. I found it in a flower garden, specifically on the surface of a fresh green leaf.
| Latin name | Subgenus Neocollyris |
|---|---|
| Observation date | 2 Agt, 2025 |
| Camera used | realme 7 Pro |
| Photographers | @reachdreams |
| Location | Aceh, Indonesia |
| Link to original community |
|---|
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/302989382
| Latitude | Longitude | Map |
|---|---|---|
| 4.695135 | 96.7493993 | https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=4.695135&mlon=96.7493993 |