Holding a "Shiny Beetle Gold Coin," It Suddenly Opens Its Wings! Netizens Gasp

A video once went viral on Weibo showing someone playing with what appeared to be a "beetle coin" in their palm. The round coin was exquisitely crafted, featuring a ring of light gold film around the edge and a detailed carving of an insect at the center, shimmering with a dazzling, golden light. However, when "it" spread its wings, everyone was shocked! It wasn't a gold coin at all, but a living beetle! Its uniquely noble appearance amazed netizens from all over the world.

Comments included: "Wow! I've never seen this kind of insect before. At first glance, I thought it was jewelry. I only realized it wasn't a golden earring when I saw it move," "I thought it was a machine model, it's so beautiful," and "It looks like the scarab from the movie 'The Mummy'." Some initially mistook it for a fake, never expecting it to be real.

Some Weibo users lamented, "Watching it fly away gives me the feeling of losing money," "It looks so expensive," "I used to play with these a lot when I was a kid, there were also green ones, but gold ones were the rarest," "Gold-plated," "I saw so many when I was little, but I don't see them much anymore," and "There were so many of these bugs in Shenzhen when I was a kid, the size of mung beans, some were gold and some were gold-green and very shiny, but I haven't seen them since I grew up," "Help! Why is it so cute when it opens its wings?"

Knowledgeable netizens pointed out that the shiny, coin-like beetle is called Aspidomorpha sanctaecrucis, also known as the golden tortoise beetle. It is commonly found in Chinese provinces such as Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan, and has also been spotted in Bangladesh and India. These beetles are approximately 1 to 2 cm in length and typically parasitize plants such as sweet potatoes and teak.

Isn't the golden tortoise beetle beautiful?