Christmas Beetle (Anoplognathus pallidicollis)

In Australia, summer arrives with a soundtrack of cicadas and a shower of Christmas Beetles (Anoplognathus pallidicollis) bumbling into porch lights. Named for their mass emergence during the warm, humid weeks around December, these glossy, tawny-gold scarabs have become as much a part of the season as pavlova.

Anoplognathus pallidicollis is one of the more common Christmas beetle species in southeastern Australia, found from Queensland through New South Wales to Victoria. Adults feed on eucalyptus leaves, sometimes gathering in numbers sufficient to defoliate young trees. Their larvae - fat, C-shaped grubs - develop underground for one to two years, feeding on grass roots and organic matter in the soil. On warm December and January evenings, newly emerged adults are strongly attracted to lights and frequently blunder into houses, barbecues, and outdoor gatherings - an annual intrusion that has become part of the cultural fabric of the Australian summer.

In recent decades, Christmas beetle numbers have declined noticeably in many parts of southeastern Australia. Habitat loss, changes in land management, and the compaction of soils by livestock are thought to be contributing factors, as the larvae depend on loose, undisturbed ground in which to develop. The genus Anoplognathus contains around 35 species, many of them brilliantly metallic, but it is the common species like pallidicollis - the ones that once arrived reliably each December - whose absence is most keenly felt. Their seasonal appearance once seemed as dependable as the summer itself.

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.

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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.

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