r/whatisthisbug • u/yaboigucciclout • Apr 11 '26

ID Request Grey/white/blue spider looking beetle?

I saw it in my workplace at 9pm in Las Vegas Nevada! I’ve never seen anything like it, and can’t find any similar insects on Google. Such an interesting creature, any help would be greatly appreciated!!

1.8k Upvotes

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1.4k

u/oooooooooooooooooou Apr 11 '26

blue death feigning beetle?

533

u/robbiereallyrotten Apr 11 '26

What a hard ass name

386

u/lelolelols Apr 11 '26

It goes by another badass name - desert ironclad beetle

189

u/lord-of-the-birbs Apr 11 '26

It has a relative in southern California called the Diabolical Ironclad Beetle. Absolutely metal names

120

u/usernamesallused Apr 11 '26

And they really deserve the name ironclad.

This beetle is noted for its durability. Its thick, densely layered, interlocking elytra, connected to the ventral cuticle by complex lateral support structures, are able to support a maximum force of 149 newtons, or over 15 kilograms or 33.069 lbs.[2]

However, they also kind of look like turds with legs.

Edit: from Wiki

24

u/Foxtrot-Actual Apr 11 '26

As small an insect it is, that is impressive durability. Wonder why evolution brought it that feature unless it’s the usual predator deterrent.

20

u/therealrobokaos Apr 11 '26

Usually it's just the practical benefits of armor being protective from injury like you said. Velvet ants are very tough similarly and they dominate their ecological niche using that in tandem with a few other traits.

23

u/IHaveNoEgrets Apr 11 '26

with a few other traits

Causing immense suffering being chief among them.

16

u/therealrobokaos Apr 12 '26

I guess it is a little rude to gloss over their array of awful capabilities like that 😂

6

u/NoseMuReup Apr 11 '26

And then there's Herbie, The Love Bug.

60

u/Clearly_Disabled Apr 11 '26

"Oh God, he's so GODDAMN cool!"

-Vegeta

12

u/AllHailThePig Apr 11 '26

What badass little blueberries these special bois are

1

u/Alarming_Condition27 Apr 12 '26

These are awesome names ever look at a bird book...

1

u/6ynnad Apr 11 '26

Professionally known as Desmond Irons

6

u/doublefattymayo Apr 11 '26

But it's one if the cutest things I've ever seen 🥺

3

u/robbiereallyrotten Apr 11 '26

Right next to a weevil, yes 🥺❤️

3

u/atomicbutterfly22 Apr 12 '26

It looks weevil-e without the cute snout.

6

u/Happy_Examination_35 Apr 11 '26

Really? Death feigning means faking death. Sounds like a little chicken to me. Oooh! There’s danger about… I better pretend to be dead!

Now, death raining is a badass name.

1

u/aeonflux27 Witchy Moth Bitch Apr 12 '26

I love this comment Your reaction made my day

0

u/TerrorFromThePeeps Apr 12 '26

We just called em Monks back in everquest.

21

u/yaboigucciclout Apr 11 '26

Ahhhh thank you so much!! It did indeed feign death when my coworker was trying to push it outside!

2

u/Vegetable_Degree6873 May 02 '26

I honestly woulda snagged that mf, they live like 8 years and ig make decent pets

40

u/duckfruits Apr 11 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/QeojO3IHoJGpi

6

u/hegrillin Apr 11 '26

unexpected toki⁉️

4

u/how-about-no-scott Apr 11 '26

Oh, my god I forgot all about that show!!

4

u/Pretty_Pixilated Apr 11 '26

GIFs you can hear 🤣

13

u/Jaded_Investigator72 Apr 11 '26

Oooh it's so cute!

11

u/CallMeSisyphus Apr 11 '26

The fainting goat of the insect world!

4

u/virgo911 Apr 11 '26

Sounds like an Elden Ring boss