Natural educational image, a decoration that combines beauty and natural knowledge - Pecilosome versicolore by Charles d'Orbigny

Reproduction engraving of: Poecilosoma versicolor (Pœcilosoma versicolor, Dej.), Desmarest's Calocome (Calocomus Desmarestii, Guér.), Hairy-antennaed Lophonocera (Lophonocerus hirticornis, Schœnh.), Yellow-banded Callichrome (Callichroma davorumfasciale, Blanch.)

Illustration taken from the Universal Dictionary of Natural History, written under the direction of Charles Henry Dessalines d'Orbigny (1806-1876) and published from 1841 to 1849.

This work, considered one of the major achievements of the 19th century in terms of scientific synthesis and quality popularization, wonderfully illustrating the great beauty and impressive diversity of the biological world, was supplemented by a certain amount of scientific information, some extracts of which are reproduced below.

Important note: the scientific classification elements of the time have been preserved as they are and may of course be obsolete today.

Scientific classification and description of the species present in the engraving:

Class of Insects
Order of Coleoptera
Suborder Cerambycians
Fig. 1. Natural size of the blue-winged squirrel (Poecilosoma versicolor, Dej.).
Fig. 2. Desmarest's Calocome (Calocomus Desmarestii, Guér.) Natural size.

Class of Insects
Order of Coleoptera
Suborder Cerambycians
Cerambycid family
Fig. 3. Hairy-antennae Lophonocerus (Lophonocerus hirticornis, Schœnh.) Natural size.
Fig. 4. Yellow-banded callichrome (Callichroma davorumfasciale, Blanch.) Natural size.
Fig. 5. Mandible of Callichroma moschata.