''Eudicella euthalia'' is a tropical, east African species of flower beetle in the genus

Eudicella ''Eudicella'' is a genus of small to medium beetles in the subfamily Cetoniinae, belonging to the wider family Scarabaeidae. They are distributed throughout the Afrotropical realm, including South Africa, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Species * ''Eudic ...

, belonging to the subfamily

Cetoniidae 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

''Eudicella euthalia'' reaches about of length in the males, while the females are slightly smaller, reaching about of length. Head and

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on e ...

are usually metallic green whilst the

elytra An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...

are a pale to strong yellow with four dark black spots on each corner. The six legs are dark red in coloration. The male possesses a Y-shaped horn pointing upwards from the forehead, used in fighting other males for females and in defense of territory. This varies in size due to conditions and quality of habitat in the larval stage and hereditary genetics. The horn, like the legs, is a ruddy red in coloration. Females lay eggs into a substrate of rotting leaf litter and wood, eggs that require about ten days to hatch in optimum habitat conditions. The development of larvae takes about five months, feeding on the substrate they are laid in. The larvae pupate in pupal cells constructed of this substrate and solidified saliva, the pupal stage lasts for about two months whilst metamorphosed adults will undergo a

teneral Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticle in many invertebrates of the clade Ecdysozoa. Since the cuticle of these animals typically forms a largely inelastic exoskeleton, it is shed during growth and a new, larger covering is formed. The remnant ...

phase within the pupal cell for a period of 2–3 days prior to emergence. Adult beetles feed on the nectar and pollen of flowers as well as overripe fruits.

Distribution

This species can be found in tropical East Africa, mainly in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

and

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Subspecies

* ''Eudicella euthalia bertherandi'' Fairmaire, 1891 * ''Eudicella euthalia euthalia'' (Bates, 1881) * ''Eudicella euthalia oweni'' * ''Eudicella euthalia resseleri''

References

Biolib

External links

MeloidaeBeetles of Africa
Cetoniinae Beetles described in 1881 {{Cetoniinae-stub