''Mecynorhina'' (frequently misspelled as ''Mecynorrhina''; the original spelling used a single "r" and the misspelling is not in prevailing usage, therefore not valid under the

ICZN The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its formal author, t ...

) are beetles from the 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 ...

, tribe Goliathini. The genus was created by

Frederick William Hope Frederick William Hope (3 January 1797 – 15 April 1862) was an English clergyman, naturalist, collector, and entomologist, who founded a professorship at the University of Oxford to which he gave his entire collections of insects in 1849 (now ...

, in 1837. According to the last work of De Palma & Frantz, the type species of the genus is ''Scarabaeus polyphemus'' Fabricius, 1781. The genus is spread throughout the tropical African region.

Taxonomy

Former classification

Formerly there were three species in the genus ''Mecynorhina'': * '' Mecynorhina oberthueri'' (Fairmaire, 1903) * '' Mecynorhina torquata'' (Drury, 1782) * ''

Mecynorhina ugandensis ''Mecynorhina ugandensis'' is a beetle from the subfamily Cetoniinae, tribe Goliathini, it was described by Julius Moser in 1907.Moser (J.), 1907. Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Cetoniden (3), Annales de la Société entomologique de Belgique, 51, p ...

'' (Moser, 1907) Some authors designated ''ugandensis'' as a subspecies of ''torquata''. ''Mecynorhina oberthuri'' was long thought to be the rarest species in its genus, however, Jean-Pierre Lequeux discovered that it is common in the forests of

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 ...

. This species is now reared by many amateurs. The most variable species is ''Mecynorhina ugandensis'' where rarely two specimens are of the same aspect. Many variations have been illustrated by Allard.Allard (V.), 1986. Les Coléoptères du Monde, volume 7, Goliathini 3

Sciences Nat Sciences Nat was the academic publisher specialising in entomology of the Societé Sciences Nat. The society was established in 1971 and based in the rue de la Mare in Paris. Three years later it moved to the rue des Alouettes and later to Venet ...

Venette Venette () is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. The town is located along the river Oise, near Compiègne. Population Its inhabitants are called ''Venettiens'' in French.

Current classification

Following De Palma & Frantz (''l.c.''), the genus is now divided in five subgenera: * ''Mecynorhina'' Hope, 1837 ** ''

Mecynorhina polyphemus ''Mecynorhina polyphemus'' is a large scarab beetle of the subfamily Cetoniinae found in dense tropical African forests, sometimes called the Polyphemus beetle. It is a frequent feeder on fruits and sap flows from tree wounds. The larvae devel ...

'' (Fabricius, 1781) * ''Mecynorrhinella'' Marais & Holm, 1992 ** '' Mecynorhina oberthueri'' Fairmaire, 1903 ** '' Mecynorhina torquata'' (Drury, 1782) ** ''

'' (Moser, 1907) (often treated as a subspecies of ''Mecynorhina torquata'') * ''Chelorhinella'' De Palma & Frantz, 2010 ** ''

Mecynorhina kraatzi ''Mecynorhina'' (frequently misspelled as ''Mecynorrhina''; the original spelling used a single "r" and the misspelling is not in prevailing usage, therefore not valid under the ICZN) are beetles from the subfamily Cetoniinae, tribe Goliathini. T ...

'' (Moser, 1905) ** ''

Mecynorhina savagei ''Mecynorhina'' (frequently misspelled as ''Mecynorrhina''; the original spelling used a single "r" and the misspelling is not in prevailing usage, therefore not valid under the ICZN) are beetles from the subfamily Cetoniinae, tribe Goliathini. T ...

'' Harris, 1844 * ''Megalorhina'' Westwood, 1847 ** ''

Mecynorhina harrisi ''Mecynorhina harrisi'' is a species of beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae. Subspecies * ''Mecynorhina harrisi eximia'' (Aurivillius, 1886) * ''Mecynorhina harrisi eximioides'' (Allard, 1989) * ''Mecynorhina h ...

'' (Westwood, 1847) ** ''

Mecynorhina mukengiana ''Mecynorhina'' (frequently misspelled as ''Mecynorrhina''; the original spelling used a single "r" and the misspelling is not in prevailing usage, therefore not valid under the ICZN) are beetles from the subfamily Cetoniinae, tribe Goliathini. T ...

'' (Kolbe, 1884) ** ''

Mecynorhina taverniersi ''Mecynorhina'' (frequently misspelled as ''Mecynorrhina''; the original spelling used a single "r" and the misspelling is not in prevailing usage, therefore not valid under the ICZN) are beetles from the subfamily Cetoniinae, tribe Goliathini. T ...

'' Allard, 1990 * ''Amaurodes'' Westwood, 1844 (Synonym = ''Chelorrhina'' Burmeister, 1842) ** ''

Mecynorhina passerinii ''Mecynorhina passerinii'', the Orange-Spotted Fruit Chafer, is a species of beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae. Subspecies * ''Mecynorhina passerinii dukei'' (Allard, 1985) * ''Mecynorhina passerinii nigricans ...

'' (Westwood, 1844) File:Mecynorrhinella oberthuri kirchneri Drumont, 1998 (3513433960).jpg, '' Mecynorhina oberthueri'' File:Megalorhina harrisi harrisi Westwood, 1847 (3251082004).jpg, '' Mecynorhina harrisi harrisi''

References

Chelorrhina
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1315968 Cetoniinae Scarabaeidae genera Taxa named by Frederick William Hope