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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Rhipicera femorata
Coleoptera / Rhipiceridae
Rhipicera femorata is an Australian beetle with a black-and-white body and striking antennal dimorphism. The male’s large, many-branched fans carry vastly more sensory structures than the female’s smaller antennae.
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Microscopy of one preserved male and one female estimated about 30,000 sensilla placodea per male antenna, compared with no more than approximately 100 per female antenna. These flat sensory structures were distributed across the flagellar branches. [3]
The large male fans expose a broad sensory surface to moving air. The authors interpreted their architecture as consistent with locating females through scent. [3]
A frontal or oblique view reveals the depth and curvature of the male antennal fans; a female retains a markedly different antennal outline. [3]
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
Museums Victoria · Accessed 2026-10-13
Museums Victoria · Accessed 2026-10-13
Ramsey and colleagues; The Anatomical Record 298, 1519–1534 (2015) · Accessed 2026-10-13
GBIF Secretariat · Accessed 2026-10-13
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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