flower chafer
flower chafer, (subfamily Cetoniinae), any of more than 4,700 species of herbivorous scarab beetles (order Coleoptera) that are distributed worldwide and noted for their often brilliant coloration. The insects are particularly associated with flowering plants, and many are good pollinators that visit flowers for pollen and nectar or to browse on the petals. Some species also feed on fruit.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Coleoptera
- Family: Scarabaeidae
See also list of beetles.
Physical description
Most flower chafers measure less than 12 mm (0.5 inch), although a few well-known species are longer. As insects, they have six legs and a body formed of a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. Like other scarab beetles, they can be distinguished from beetles of other families by their unusual antennae, each of which terminates in three flattened plates that fit together to form a club. Most flower chafers have only small protuberances on the tops of their heads and prothorax (region immediately behind the head), although some have long hornlike structures. The pollen-feeding adults tend to be hairy, and the majority of the iridescent species occur in the tropics.
Flower chafers undergo complete (holometabolous) metamorphosis, meaning their life cycle consists of egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae are grublike and characteristically crawl on their backs, using muscular pads on the back instead of their legs for locomotion.
Major genera and species
Probably the best-known member of the flower chafer subfamily is the African goliath beetle (Goliathus goliatus). This insect is typically white with bold black lines on its promontum (the upper plate of the prothorax) and has rusty brown wing covers (elytra). It may be more than 10 cm (4 inches) long and has black, leathery wings that are larger than those of a sparrow. Its grublike larva is one of the heaviest insects.
The North American green June beetle (Cotinis nitida) is about 25 mm (1 inch) long, dull velvet green in color, and edged in yellow and brown. It feeds on figs and other fruits, often causing great damage. Euphoria inda resembles a bumblebee and buzzes while flying.
The color of Heterorhina sexmaculata of Sumatra, one of the most beautiful insects, changes with shifts in light from black and gold-green to deep orange-red.
- Also called:
- flower beetle or flower scarab
(Read Britannica’s photo list “10 Insects That Look Like Jewels.”)
