I loved the "X" and wanted to see it better defined so I did a quick "dark" clone and cleaned it up a bit. This might look a little too "sterile" to be real but it does put a bit more emphasis on the beetle IMHO.
Great job on the insect...lovely irridescence caught very well! Good detail on him and good composition.
I see your point, and agree the X could stand a bit more emphasis. My style would be to just darken the unwanted BG elements, but leave them there to keep it real. I'll have to play with it some more.
I like the light, colors, and composition, Chris. On the other hand, the beetle's posture (leg position, antennae tucked in) makes it look dead to me. ??