The Red-spotted Lily Weevil (Brachycerus ornatus) is a widespread species occurring throughout Southern Africa, though only prevalent in small localalised populations due to its inability to fly. It feeds on a variety of plants, but mostly on the foliage of the Karoo Lily (Ammocharis coranica). In traditional African medicine, many plants are used for their natural medicinal properties, the Karoo Lily bulbs for an example, are used in Zulu herbal medicine for treating serious afflictions considered to be the result of witchcraft, but relevant to this beautiful insect is the fact that their exoskeletons have been used by sangomas (a Zulu name for traditional healers) for centuries in jewelry, specifically necklaces. In the animal kingdom, the beetle displays its aposematic colouration normally as an alert to predators that it is either poisonous or doesn’t taste very good, and it is thought that perhaps there is a belief that using the exoskeletons on jewelry will help to ward off witchcraft and bad luck?
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