Rose Beetle
The Rose Beetle is a small six-legged insectoid animal that lives under Wax Rose bushes feeding on the remains of dead insects and animals that succumb to the intoxicants produced by the Wax Rose. Rose Beetles have a pink shell that camouflages them, as they blend in with petals from the Wax Rose flowers that drop to the ground beneath the bush.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Rose Beetle is similar in form to a terrestrial beetle. It has six legs and a shell or carapace that covers most of its body. Unlike many terrestrial beetles, however, the Rose Beetle cannot fly. The pink shell has rows of tiny indentations, and the head is similarly textured. The indentations are pores that exude an extremely slippery substance that prevent the Rose Beetle from getting stuck in the sticky wax of Wax Rose bush. Rose beetles are immune to the poisons of the Wax Rose.
Genetics and Reproduction
Rose Beetles reproduce by laying eggs in carcasses that litter the ground under Wax Rose bushes. The eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the carcass in which they hatch. After the larvae have fed enough, they burrow into the ground, where they metamorphosize into their adult form. The adult Rose Beetles then emerge from the ground and begin looking for carcasses to feed on and for mates.
Ecology and Habitats
Rose Beetles have a symbiotic relationship with the Wax Rose bushes they live under. When they die, their bodies decompose, providing nutrients to the Wax Rose. As they and their larvae feed, they help to decompose the carcasses, freeing nutrients for the Wax Rose. Burrowing Rose Beetle larvae help maintain the soil around the Wax Rose, aerating it and preventing it from becoming compacted.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Rose Beetles are carrion eaters and scavengers, feeding on the carcasses of insects, birds, and small animals that are overcome by the intoxicants and poisons of the Wax Rose bushes they live around and under.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Rose Beetles have relatively poor vision and are deaf. Their feelers give them good chemoreception (sense of "smell"). They have good pallesthesia (sense of vibration), which they use to sense when an insect, bird, or animal succumbs to the intoxicants and poisons of the Wax Rose, dies, and drops to the ground underneath the Wax Rose bush.
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