Dicronorrhina derbyana

Derby's flower beetle
Female D. d. derbyana in South Africa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Cetoniinae
Genus: Dicronorrhina
Species: D. derbyana
Binomial name
Dicronorrhina derbyana
Westwood, 1843

Derby's flower beetle (Dicronorrhina derbyana) is a sub-Saharan species of flower chafer.

Description

Head and thorax of male

Dicronorrhina derbyana is the smallest within the genus. It reaches about 40–50 millimetres (1.6–2.0 in) of length in the males, while the females are slightly smaller, reaching about 35–38 millimetres (1.4–1.5 in) in length.

In D. d. layardi the basic body colour is usually metallic green with an ochre sheen and white stripes on the pronotum and elytra. In D. d. conradsi the body is maroon with a blue sheen and tan stripes. It is completely metallic ginger to emerald green in D. d. oberthueri.[1] The males have a "T"-shaped, flat horn in the forehead. The larvae live in the soil on decaying vegetable material, while the adults feed primarily on tree sap and fruits. A female lays up to 200 eggs. The full life cycle will take 8-9 months, and the adult beetles can live 3-4 months.

Distribution

These attractive beetles are mainly present in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Subspecies

References

Wikispecies has information related to: Dicronorrhina
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