Blue Fungus Beetle (Gibbifer californicus)

This is a pleasing fungus beetle, which is the actual name of the family, and it lives up to it: a smooth domed body in an intense blue-black that shifts as the light moves across it. It is large for its family and unmistakable in the field.

Adults and larvae both feed on the fruiting bodies of polypore fungi growing on hardwoods, particularly oaks, in California, Oregon and the American Southwest. Beetle and fungus spend their lives together, and the beetles' movement between trees probably helps disperse the spores in return.

Whether the blue means anything is unresolved. It may be a warning, or it may be a by-product of a diet of fungal chemistry. Either way the whole arrangement happens out of sight, on the undersides of logs and inside dim woodland, well away from the pollination and predation dramas that get the attention.

A vector illustration of the blue fungus beetle in dorsal view, drawn for the Bugs series of insect art prints.

Bugs is a collection of natural history illustration prints drawn from the insect world - beetles, flies, bugs, butterflies, and moths selected for the strangeness, beauty, and variety of their forms.

Each illustration is adapted from Simon Tyler's book Bugs, published by Pavilion in 2017 and subsequently published in French and Chinese. The series draws on the tradition of scientific natural history illustration - precise, considered, and attentive to the details that make each species distinctive.

Insects account for the majority of all known animal species on Earth. This collection is a small survey of what that diversity looks like.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 50 × 70 cm · 20 × 28 in

XLarge · 70 × 100 cm · 28 × 40 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

Full delivery information →

Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

Full returns policy →