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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Scarabaeoidea » Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae) » Fruit and Flower Chafers (Cetoniinae) » Osmodermatini » Osmoderma » Osmoderma eremicola
Photo#24126
Odor-of-Leather Beetle - Osmoderma eremicola
Copyright © 2005 Stephen_WV

Odor-of-Leather Beetle - Osmoderma eremicola
Near Ruraldale, Upshur County, West Virginia, USA
July 5, 2005
A pretty active beetle, but it did finally slow down enough to allow some photos to be taken.

Dillon & Dillon say the beetle gives off the odor of Russian leather. Unfortunately I didn't read this until the beetle had already ambled off. I didn't get a sniff. I wonder how Russian leather's smell is different from other leather?

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Odor-of-Leather Beetle - Osmoderma eremicola Odor-of-Leather Beetle - Osmoderma eremicola
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Contributed by Stephen_WV on 14 July, 2005 - 6:29am

A Tinge of Vodka, Maybe?
Bob Patterson
… Bob Patterson, 14 July, 2005 - 6:31am login or register to post comments

 
Maybe so!
Maybe so! I knew it wasn't English leather—that was a cologne I wore to the big dance when I was in junior high school.

--Stephen

Stephen Cresswell
Buckhannon, WV
www.stephencresswell.com
… Stephen_WV, 14 July, 2005 - 8:39am login or register to post comments

 
Russia Leather
From WordWeb Online:

Russia leather. A smooth leather tanned with willow, birch, or oak, and scented on the flesh side with birch oil.


From the website of the C & D Jarnagin Company:

Russia leather is a type of vegetable tanned leather, but has very distinctive oils used during the currying process. This oil has an aromatic scent, and because of this the leather has certain properties. These properties include insect resistance and mold and mildew resistance. This type of leather was used in book bindings and hat sweat bands. This type of leather was embossed with a pattern in the grain surface of the leather, such as a diamond pattern as well as others. The leather is known for its distinctive red color, but was also dyed black.

SO this beetle seems to have a chemical that may repel other insects.


--Stephen

Stephen Cresswell
Buckhannon, WV
www.stephencresswell.com
… Stephen_WV, 14 July, 2005 - 9:16am login or register to post comments

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