Tumbling flower beetles

A few months ago, I bought a macro lens for my iPhone. What a difference it makes in capturing images of small critters. The picture above is a tiny tumbling flower beetle that I spotted dining in a pincushion daisy. I recognized what kind beetle it was by looking at its shape and profile. See the pointy, "pintail" end in the photo below? I think my friend is in the genus Mordellistena, possibly Mordellistena cervicalis. 

This find adds to our tumbling flower beetle species list. Last June, I happened upon one of the coolest things I'd seen in our yard. It was a tumbling flower beetle enjoying a shower on our water fountain. Click back to my post and you'll see a video of it skittering around. That beetle was Hoshihananomia octopunctata. Go ahead–try saying THAT taxonomic name a few times. Not me! 

In October 2016, I found a tumbling flower beetle on antelope-horns (photos below). It's not been confirmed, but I think it's Mordella atrata. 

In October 2017, I found another tumbling flower beetle (below) on a cowpen daisy. But I didn't get very good photos. Maybe it's Mordellistena comata. But then, maybe not. But one thing's for certain–THEY'RE ALL TUMBLING FLOWER BEETLES!