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''Eupoecila intricata'' is a rare species of the Australian-
Comparison of ''Eupoecila intricata'' (left) with ''Eupoecila australasiae'' (right)
''E. intricata'' feed on the pollen and nectar of flowering trees, such as
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
scarab beetle
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 ...
genus Eupoecila
''Eupoecila'' is a genus of Scarabaeidae, scarab beetle family that includes five species, all of which are found in Australia.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q14621719
Cetoniinae ...
. ''E. intricata'' was described by Lea (1914) as a subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of ''E. australasiae'' and is still often confused with the species. It was raised to species status by Allard (1995).
Description and diet
The body of this species carries cryptic, bright yellow or yellow-orange markings on a red and black background. In death, these markings fade to brown. The markings are similar to those of ''Eupoecila australasiae
''Eupoecila australasiae'', commonly known as the fiddler beetle or rose chafer, is a colourful green- or yellow-and-black member of the scarab beetle family from eastern Australia.
The fiddler beetle was originally described by Anglo Irish natu ...
''. Easily recognisable differences are two additional vertical lines where the wing covers meet, and two comma-shaped marks at the bottom of the 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 ...
rather than a horizontal line. ''E. intricata'' are slightly larger than ''E. australasiae''.
Comparison of ''Eupoecila intricata'' (left) with ''Eupoecila australasiae'' (right)
''E. intricata'' feed on the pollen and nectar of flowering trees, such as eucalypts
Eucalypt is any woody plant with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to one of seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australia:
''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', '' Stockwellia'', ''Allosyncarpia'', '' E ...
, Angophora
''Angophora'' is a genus of nine species of trees and shrubs in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Endemic to eastern Australia, they differ from other eucalypts in having juvenile and adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, sepals reduced to projec ...
and Ligustrum
A privet is a flowering plant in the genus ''Ligustrum''. The genus contains about 50 species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs or trees, with a native distribution from Europe to tropical and subtropical Asia, and with one species each ...
and contribute to the pollination
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma (botany), stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, for example bees, beetles or bu ...
of these trees and bushes.
Habitat and occurrence
''E. intricata'' is a rare species, which is evident from collection data and material in collections. Many of the records available on the internet are unverified. The species co-occurs with ''E. australasiae'' in Australia'sGreat Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...
and adjoining areas in east Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India
* Victoria (state), a state of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital
* Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
. The life history of this species has not been published but is often assumed to be identical to ''E. australasiae''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q14885143 Cetoniinae Beetles of Australia Beetles described in 1914 Taxa named by Arthur Mills Lea