''Eudicella loricata'' is an insect of the
scarab beetle family, in the subfamily known as
flower beetles.
Subspecies
* ''Eudicella loricata kiellandi'' (Allard, 1985)
* ''Eudicella loricata knothi'' (Schurhoff, 1933)
* ''Eudicella loricata montana'' (Allard, 1985)
* ''Eudicella loricata oberthueri'' (Kolbe, 1896)
* ''Eudicella loricata rhodesiana'' (Allard, 1985)
* ''Eudicella loricata ruandana'' (Allard, 1985)
* ''Eudicella loricata vingerhoedti'' (Allard, 1993)
Description
''Eudicella loricata'' Males reaches a length of about while females are roughly 21-27mm.
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 ...
is usually green and the legs are brown, while 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 pale brown or yellowish, with four dark spots on the edges. The male has a Y-shaped, flat
horn
Horn may refer to:
Common uses
* Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide
** Horn antenna
** Horn loudspeaker
** Vehicle horn
** Train horn
*Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals
* Horn (instrument), a family ...
on the forehead, used in fighting over females and in defense of territory. The horn is different to other
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 ...
species, appearing more similar to a
dicronorhina instead of the usual Y-shaped horn of other
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 ...
. The beetle also looks superficially similar to
Eudicella euthalia. The
larvae
A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...
feed on
deciduous hummus and reach around 16-32mm depending on quality of substrate they are feeding on.
Distribution
This species can be found in
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 ...
. It is usually found around
rain forest
Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
habitats and under trees in parts of
savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
. They are considered pests in farms where they feed on fruits at open gashes but should not be killed as
larvae
A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...
play an important part of the ecosystem.
References
Biolib
Cetoniinae
Taxa named by Edward Wesley Janson
Beetles described in 1877
{{Cetoniinae-stub