I would have been even more surprised than I was to find a Bombadier Beetle in a desert clime had I not already had another beetle type come to my UV lights at this site: water beetles. I say that because Brachinus females lay their eggs on or near a water beetle pupa and their larvae consume the pupa. This beetle "popped" readily at the UV lights in the foothills but refused to demonstrate this behavior for my brother when I brought it back to the valley.