''Diplognatha'' is a genus of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

belonging to the family

Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 35,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change. Several groups formerly tre ...

, subfamily

Cetoniinae Flower chafers are a group of scarab beetles comprising the subfamily Cetoniinae. Many species are diurnal and visit flowers for pollen and nectar, or to browse on the petals. Some species also feed on fruit. The group is also called fruit and ...

Description

Species of this genus are of medium size (approx. 20–27 mm). The body is slightly oblong and flat, with a shiny surface, usually black or brown, but some species have a distinct metallic sheen. A sexual dimorphism is barely visible. The larvae usually live in the soil, but some species are supposed to develop in bird and bee nests. In some species, the adult beetles live for several years, which is relatively uncommon.

Distribution

These beetles live in tropical Africa. The species ''Diplognatha gagates'' is found almost everywhere in Africa south of

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

List of species

References

Eol

''Diplognatha gagates''

''Diplognatha silicea''
Cetoniinae Scarabaeidae genera Taxa named by Hippolyte Louis Gory Taxa named by Achille Rémy Percheron Taxa described in 1833 {{Cetoniinae-stub