Harlequin beetle

Neotropics and the only member of the genus Acrocinus.^[1]

insect collectors.^[5] Although essentially harmless to humans, it may bite in self-defense with its strong mandibles.^[6]

monotypic, but an analysis of morphological characters indicates that Macropophora and Oreodera are sufficiently close to also be included in this tribe.^[8]

cryptic species complex.^[1]

subtropical parts of the Americas, ranging from Mexico, through Central and South America, south as far as northernmost Argentina (Corrientes and Misiones), southernmost Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) and Paraguay.^[4][7][9] It also occurs on the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago,^[1][9] but a record from Barbados is considered erroneous.^[10] The harlequin beetle has been recorded from all Central American countries and all South American countries, except Chile and Uruguay.^[9][11] In Mexico, its distribution is incompletely known, but it is found in the south of the country, ranging north along the Pacific slope to Colima and along the Caribbean slope to Hidalgo; it is not known from the Yucatán Peninsula.^[4]

interandean valles and the coastal Caribbean region.^[14][15][16] It has been recorded at elevations up to 2,150 m (7,050 ft) above sea level.^[4][15]

sexually dimorphic in the foreleg length and shape: In large males, the forelegs are greatly extended, up to 15 cm (6 in) long, being twice the length as in females with the same body size.^[17] Large males also exhibit strong curvature in their foreleg tibiae, which is not seen in females.^[17] However, in small males, both length and shape of the forelegs resemble that seen in small females.^[17] These traits aid the males as they fight with each other over optimal egg deposition sites in preparation for mating.^[17] Males engage each other with their forelimbs in an attempt to flip other males off of the dead or dying trees that may be chosen by females to provide food for developing larvae.^[17] The males also readily attempt to bite each other with their strong mandibles, sometimes biting off pieces of the opponents antennae or legs.^[17] Once a site has been secured, the male will guard it around the clock, but females typically only are present during nighttime; once a female arrives, the male will also guard her.^[17]

Bagassa guianensis, Brosimum alicastrum (breadnut) and others in the genus Brosimum, Caryocar (souari trees), Castilla elastica (Panama rubber tree), Ceiba, Clarisia, Couma, Enterolobium, Eucalyptus (not native to the Americas but widely introduced), Ficus (fig trees), Guazuma, Inga, Lonchocarpus, Maclura, Parahancornia, Perebea, Persea and Theobroma cacao (cocoa tree).^[4][7][9] The female uses her strong mandibles to make several circular, elliptical or crescent-shaped holes (diameter or maximum length 1.5–4 cm [0.6–1.6 in]) in the bark; the holes are typically placed at regular intervals and as if on a string, forming a distinct pattern on the tree.^[17][18] The female places a single egg in each hole and she will typically lay 15–20 eggs over a period of several hours or a few days;^[3][17] a female may lay up to a total of 160 eggs.^[14] After an egg hatches, the wood is used as a food source by the larvae, which makes a network of tunnels inside it.^[9][18] Just before pupating, the larvae can be around 13 cm (5 in) long.^[3] From the egg is laid to emergence from the wood as an adult beetle takes 4 to 12 months,^[5][17] or possibly even up to 2 years.^[14] Although the harlequin beetle is very rarely maintained in captivity, it has been successfully raised and bred for several generations using either freshly cut wood from Morus (mulberry), or an artificially composite of Morus sawdust, a commercial mixture used for insect rearing and morin suspended in agar, as a larval food source.^[19]

phoresy. In one case, fifteen pseudoscorpion had hidden themselves under the wing coverts of a harlequin beetle, but their combined weight was still less than 2.5% of the beetle's.^[12] Some pseudoscorpion species appear to primarily, or exclusively, rely on harlequin beetles for dispersal between their habitats.^[3][12][20] Once transported to a recently fallen tree by harlequin beetles, a new pseudoscorpion colony is formed and remains isolated until the next generation of harlequin beetles have completed their immature stages (egg, larvae and pupae) in the wood and emerge as adult beetles. At that point, pseudoscorpions from the colony will attach themselves to the emerging beetles to be transported to a new recently fallen tree, starting the cycle over again.^[1][20]

Candida glabrata than the Alo-1 and Alo-2 peptides do.^[21] Currently, there is a lack of treatment for fatal hospital-acquired infections and other pathologies. The peptide Alo-3 found in Harlequin beetles could provide a treatment for these severe, life threatening infections.^[21]