Worth a look (even for those without an inordinate fondness for beetles).

Beetles

That’s a handsome animal. Although it’s a little odd calling them animals, as they seem more like machines.

Bubblecar said:

That’s a handsome animal. Although it’s a little odd calling them animals, as they seem more like machines.

Aren’t we all? :)

Bubblecar said:

That’s a handsome animal. Although it’s a little odd calling them animals, as they seem more like machines.

Looks to be a Jewel Beetle, some of which can grow to over 75mm or 3” in length. In Australia the large ones occur in mid-summer, especially in inland mallee environments after a few highly floristic eucalypts come into flower. Their larvae feed on the roots where they might remain for over ten years, then they all emerge together to create spectacular displays as different species mass feed on the blossom.

PermeateFree said:

Bubblecar said:

That’s a handsome animal. Although it’s a little odd calling them animals, as they seem more like machines.

Looks to be a Jewel Beetle

Tricoloured Jewel Beetle, Belionata sumptuosa (Coleoptera, Buprestidae)
The link has a large number of other pictures, each with details of what it is.

They always remind me of opals.

While talking of close-ups of organisms, bump for roughbarked’s four close-ups of organisms in thread http://tokyo3.org/forums/holiday/topics/7278/