Titanus Giganteus, French Guiana

Long-horned beetle flings its wings wide, glassy and amber at the tips.

This titanus giganteus is by French Guiana, and is contemporary. Bug collecting is said to have caught on as a hobby only in the 19th and 20th centuries, when insects began to be appreciated strictly for their beauty. Dark glossy head and thorax with long curved antennae, and reddish brown wing cases lifted open to show pale, translucent hind wings. The tapering ribbed abdomen is chestnut brown. It is mounted in a deep black frame. It is 13 inches wide, 4.5 deep and 10 high.

Mid-takeoff forever, and utterly committed to the pose.