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Article: Stinking beauty betrays dung beetles.(Borneo flower attracts dung beetles for pollination)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- January 23, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Many blossoms offer sweet fragrances that attract pollinators, not to mention young lovers, but a purple flower in Borneo takes a different tack. It gives off an odor convincing enough to win the attention of dung beetles.
This plant provides a rare example of pollination machinery specialized for beetles that eat dung, says Shoko Sakai of Kyoto University in Japan. Other plants stink, but they usually attract flies or a mix of excrement lovers. The flower in Borneo, however, relies mostly on small Onthophagus beetles, she and Kyoto colleague Tamiji Inoue report in the January American Journal of Botany.
The plant's name, Orchidantha inouei, honors the ...