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 flower chafers, flower beetles and flower scarabs. There are around 4,000 species, many of them still undescribed.
Adult flower chafers are usually brightly coloured beetles, often metallic, and somewhat flattened in shape. The insertions of the
antennae are visible from above, while the
mandibles and
labrum are hidden by the
clypeus. The
elytra lack a narrow membranous margin and are truncate to expose the
pygidium. The abdominal
spiracles are diverging so that several lie on the abdominal
sternites with at least one exposed. The fore coxae are conical and produced ventrally, while the mid coxae are transverse or only slightly oblique. The mesothoracic epimera is visible from above. The tarsi are each equipped with a pair of simple (not forked) tarsal claws of subequal size.[3][4]
A feature possessed by adults of many flower chafers, especially Cetoniini, is lateral emargination of the elytra.[5]
Larvae are stout-bodied and very hairy with short legs. The head is partly covered by the
prothorax. Each antenna has the apical segment as wide as the penultimate segment. The galea and lacinia are used to form a mala. The anal cleft is transverse. The mandible has a ventral
stridulating area. The labrum is symmetrical with a deeply pigmented notch on each side of the midline.[3]
Biology
Adult cetoniines are
herbivorous, being found on flowers (from which they consume nectar and pollen), tree sap and rotting fruit. Larvae generally live and feed in decaying plant matter (including decaying wood) or soil. In captivity, cetoniine larvae will feed on soft fruit.[3][4]
In terms of movement, adults are considered some of the best flyers among beetles. They can hover above and land on flowers or fruit. When threatened by predators, they escape by either performing a rush take off or by falling toward the ground and then flying before impact. Many cetoniines fly with their elytra closed, as their hindwings can unfold and slide out under the elytra during flight (thanks to the emargination of the elytra).[5]
Larvae of some taxa can crawl on their backs using their
tergal folds, which are covered in strong bristles. Others crawl on their legs.[3][5]
Systematics and taxonomy
The following list contains the genera and subtribes in ten tribes of subfamily Cetoniinae, according to Catalogue of Life and Scarabaeidae of the World (2023).[1]
^Cazier, M.A. & Marjorie Statham (1962). "The behaviour and habits of the myrmecophilous scarab, Cremastocheilus stathamae Cazier, with notes on other species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)". J. New York Entomol. Soc. 70: 125–149.
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 flower chafers, flower beetles and flower scarabs. There are around 4,000 species, many of them still undescribed.
Adult flower chafers are usually brightly coloured beetles, often metallic, and somewhat flattened in shape. The insertions of the
antennae are visible from above, while the
mandibles and
labrum are hidden by the
clypeus. The
elytra lack a narrow membranous margin and are truncate to expose the
pygidium. The abdominal
spiracles are diverging so that several lie on the abdominal
sternites with at least one exposed. The fore coxae are conical and produced ventrally, while the mid coxae are transverse or only slightly oblique. The mesothoracic epimera is visible from above. The tarsi are each equipped with a pair of simple (not forked) tarsal claws of subequal size.[3][4]
A feature possessed by adults of many flower chafers, especially Cetoniini, is lateral emargination of the elytra.[5]
Larvae are stout-bodied and very hairy with short legs. The head is partly covered by the
prothorax. Each antenna has the apical segment as wide as the penultimate segment. The galea and lacinia are used to form a mala. The anal cleft is transverse. The mandible has a ventral
stridulating area. The labrum is symmetrical with a deeply pigmented notch on each side of the midline.[3]
Biology
Adult cetoniines are
herbivorous, being found on flowers (from which they consume nectar and pollen), tree sap and rotting fruit. Larvae generally live and feed in decaying plant matter (including decaying wood) or soil. In captivity, cetoniine larvae will feed on soft fruit.[3][4]
In terms of movement, adults are considered some of the best flyers among beetles. They can hover above and land on flowers or fruit. When threatened by predators, they escape by either performing a rush take off or by falling toward the ground and then flying before impact. Many cetoniines fly with their elytra closed, as their hindwings can unfold and slide out under the elytra during flight (thanks to the emargination of the elytra).[5]
Larvae of some taxa can crawl on their backs using their
tergal folds, which are covered in strong bristles. Others crawl on their legs.[3][5]
Systematics and taxonomy
The following list contains the genera and subtribes in ten tribes of subfamily Cetoniinae, according to Catalogue of Life and Scarabaeidae of the World (2023).[1]
^Cazier, M.A. & Marjorie Statham (1962). "The behaviour and habits of the myrmecophilous scarab, Cremastocheilus stathamae Cazier, with notes on other species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)". J. New York Entomol. Soc. 70: 125–149.